Invasives!

by John Nitta

When you’ve grown a lot of products over the years, things change. That is, some plants become very popular and desirable and some fade away. Some become what’s considered an “invasive plant.” I remember about twenty-five years ago, when the Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum), became very popular as a shade tree with fast growth and great fall color. As time went on the seed and resulting seedlings started spreading, popping up in natural riparian areas very rapidly.

Chinese Tallow Tree, once very popular, is a fast-growing, small shade tree with excellent fall color.

Over the years, The California Invasive Plant Council, or IPC, has a definition for “invasive non-native plants that threaten wildlands.” These plants in turn are then classified into ratings of “high,” “moderate,” and “Limited.” In studying the council’s listing of “invasive non-native plants that threaten wildlands,” I discovered several on the list that we should not be growing, and made a choice to discontinue six products. I determined these six because of their potential as being invasive to regions that we deliver our products to. Now, when I say that “I determined …” I mean to say that’s it’s strictly a choice of myself as a grower. That’s because I discovered there’s no law than bans me, or any other grower, from producing these plants.

It seems it’s also a matter of education. Several months ago, at our Placer Country Agricultural Commission meeting (where I serve as a member and the Nursery representative), our Agriculture Commissioner, Christine Turner, reported a call from a resident in the Auburn area, asking why the local Home Depot was selling Cytisus scoparius, Scotch Broom, considered to be a “high,” or “having severe ecological impacts” by the IPC. This was a knowledgeable layperson who called, and he or she knew darn right that the brooms are very bad plants! As to why the store was selling brooms in our area? Probably because it was shipped to many Home Deport locations, including areas that the plant was on the “bad” list. Apparently the grower, shipper, and/or store manager had no knowledge of the broom being a “bad” plant for the area.

We’ve been growing brooms for many years, for it is a popular plant in Nevada. It’s tough, hardy, spring-blooming, and almost a staple plant in the Reno area. At a plant conference this last winter, I met a Nevada State Ag person and asked about Cytisus scoparius. She said it is a good plant for their area, and it doesn’t spread around and become invasive, probably because of the tough climate they have. So, as a grower, we have to make choices. Although this plant has market value for us in Nevada, we are discontinuing it. We have to recognize the overall impact of its spreading as an invasive, and make the right choice.

High Ranch has grown several varieties of Scotch Broom, still widely used as a landscape ornamental in Nevada.

So, this is our plan, and it’s being implemented now. We are discontinuing growing and thus no longer offering the following six products:

• Cortaderia selloana - Pampas grass

• Cytisus scoparius - Scotch broom cultivars

• Pennisetum setaceum - Crimson fountaingrass

• Hedera (all) - (all English and Algerian ivy cultivars)

• Cotoneaster lacteal (C. parneyi) - Parney’s cotoneaster

• Sapium sebiferum – Chinese Tallow Tree

While these plants may be still listed in our current catalog, they won’t be available. I’m hoping other growers will make these tough choices as well.

Fountain Grass is still widely used as a ornamental grass. This planting is in Rocklin, California.

California False Indigo and the Dogface Butterfly at Shutamul

by John Nitta

On June 26th, Sarah and I had a unique opportunity to experience first-hand, up close and personal, a rare California plant and some pretty neat wildlife. This all took place at the Placer Land Trust’s Shutamul Bear River Preserve.

First of all, a couple of questions:
1. What is the California State butterfly?
2. What host plant is exclusive to this butterfly?

The title of this blog answers it all. We were very fortunate to hit this site at the “right time, right place.” Within a couple of minutes of parking at the site, we noticed the butterflies – active adults, both male and female. And the north facing slope, under the cover of Black oaks and Grey pines, was cover with an understory of Amorpha californica, the California False Indigo. Amongst the Amorpha was Heteromeles (Toyon) and Ribes (Current) and plenty of poison oak.

We were surrounded by Amorpha on this hillside

Six of us visited the site. Besides Sarah and myself - there were three from Placer Land Trust – Justin Wages and Jeff Ward, staffers at PLT, and Kristin Haider, an intern serving through Americorp, and last but not least, Deren Ross, local Audubon member and bird/lepidoptera expert. Justin coordinated the visit and little did he know that we were to hit paydirt right away.

Almost immediately, within a minute of parking, we noticed the Dogface butterfly adults flying about. Justin and Deren immediately went into action – Justin pursuing the butterfly –hoping to catch in on film, and Deren, with his butterfly net, hoping to catch and release one, after an up-close-and-personal look. Jeff and Kristin had monitoring duties in another section of the preserve, so the remaining four of us continued on.

Deren caught this fine male Dogface butterfly

I was looking closely for any flowers/seed heads remaining from the recent spring bloom. At first, I only saw green leaves. We noticed the leaves were very much intact and not chewed-on yet; so we deduced the larvae were not active yet. Then I saw some spikes on a few plants, some with intact seeds still on! The seeds were 95% dispersed, but enough was left on the plants we encountered to collect a few hundred.

Amorpha californica seed spike

It is a goal of Placer Land Trust and a pet project of Justin’s, to establish a demonstration garden with Amorpha californica so the general public can see and learn about this rare plant and butterfly in our own Placer County. It is a very exciting project, one that will put Placer County as a destination for native plant and butterfly enthusiasts’ from all over.

We were so fortunate to have seen the adult Dogface butterflies, and Justin and Deren definitely have plans to revisit the site periodically throughout the year to monitor and observe the other stages of the Dogface butterfly’s life cycle. I’ll keep you posted of the development of this exciting project!

Monardella villosa, Coyote Mint - another favorite of Dogface butterflies

2nd Annual Britton Fund Ride at the Western Chapter ISA Conference in Reno, NV, May 4, 2009

John and Sarah Nitta – Team High Ranch! - participated in the 2nd Annual Britton Fund Ride at the recent annual conference of the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture on May 4th. The conference was kicked off that evening at the Atlantis Hotel in Reno and ran for 4 days.

Sarah and I would like to thank all that supported us in the 2nd Annual Britton Fund Ride! We did 67 miles in and around Reno, along the Truckee River west to Verdi, and back to Reno, traveling through some very scenic country. There were 22 riders altogether, and your High Ranch Nursery team, for the 2nd time with your generous support, raised the most of all the riders!

We know it is an economically tough year for most folks and businesses, and those donations meant more than ever this year. The funds help improve trees through research and education, and help people realize the benefits of our urban forests.

Along the ride, we stopped at two schools to demonstrate to young students, mainly 2nd through 4th graders, a tree planting and what benefits trees bring to people.

What a great way to let children know the importance of trees and how they help us by providing shade and beauty and giving off oxygen and help cleanse the air (among others!). It was fun to see the kids really getting into it and helping with the planting!

-John & Sarah Nitta

SERCAL Conference, April 30 - May 1, 2009

High Ranch Nursery had a table at the recent 16th Annual SERCAL/CNGA Conference in Folsom, CA. More information can be found on their website. There were numerous speakers on various topics dealing with ecological restoration. In light of what's happening globally with the "green movement," global warming, and reducing your "carbon footprint," many topics hit home with the attendees as far as what we can do ourselves to conserve and review our current BMP's. Questions, problems and possible solutions were discussed after each session. It was a valuable informational conference, and it gave me a chance to network with ecological restoration people from all over the state. Our business - High Ranch Nursery, Inc. - has been growing natives for supply to the conservation industry. Our plants are grown using the RPM - Root Production Method - to develop a fibrous root system to ensure success upon planting out, especially for habitat restoration. We invite your plants lists and bid requests for contract growing. It was a great conference, and we were happy to a part of it this year!

Welcome to High Ranch Nursery's Blog

This is our first post! We're excited to share ideas with you on the emerging art of sustainable landscaping.  If you're interested in plants and growing methods that foster a greener future, you'll find a community of like-minded plant lovers here.  Welcome!