Why the ideas of "native" and "invasive" need to be reworked. 12.19.14

These are some of my semi-random thoughts.   I try not to be too contrarian, but I also think we have to think for ourselves.

I saw this was in my unpublished blog from 2014.  No idea why I didn't publish then.   The thoughts are still what I think.

Many websites and authors express strong preference for growing native plants.  The thought is, native plants are best adapted for a particular local area, and plants that originate elsewhere, by definition lack certain properties, such as being adapted to the local provenance, soil, climate, water conditions, temperature, and insect populations.

American Chestnut.  Source Vintageprintable.com

I really love quintessential "American" plants and trees.  It's a reason I like the idea of growing Pawpaws and American persimmons.  And, American linden, some maple species, and some native orchids.  And, if I could, mayapples, morels, chantrelles, tulip poplar, and others.


But what, in most urban suburban, and rural settings, outside of actual wildlands, exists of the original conditions?  Those are the conditions that American plants are best adapted to.  The temperature?   Climate zones have migrated.   Climate change is remodeling the climate condition everywhere.  So once native plants are adapted to a former, often gone, condition.  In general, local climates are warmer than before, but there is also shift in rain patterns.  The soil?  Much is gone.  In the highly modified lands of urban, suburban, farm, former farm, and logged forest, phenomenal amounts of topsoil are gone forever.  Much blew away in the dust bowl, and in farming practices.  Forestry, logging, and farming, resulted in washing away a big fraction, sometimes most, of the original soil.   The remaining soil is populated with trillions of earthworms - highly beneficial to the gardener and farmer, but causing a paradigm shift in the soil structure, nutrition, texture, water holding capacity, and presence of protective layers of undecomposed leaves.

Looking around populated areas here, what remains of original species of trees and plants?  The vast majority seem to be gone.  Instead, the yards and gardens contain plants from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and many hybrids and human-modified plants.  The grasses are foreign.  Many of the trees, if not most, are foreign.

In wild places, there may still be mostly original species but again, the climate itself is different.  The soil is different.  Even the air is different - increased CO2 may change growth of some plants, more than others.  The water is different - the more acidic pH of the water means the soil itself is more acidic.  Plants that are adapted to a local soil pH, texture, nutritional constitution - those may be local, but no longer adapted to transformed environmental conditions.

Dead American Chestnut.  Source:   vintageprintable.com

In addition to changes in soil, climate, some species have been erased - a "cleansing" from the local ecosystems.  The vast forests of chestnut were killed off by Chestnut blight, and no longer exist. The vast forests of Elm were killed off by Dutch Elm disease - they also no longer exist.  Bison, gone.  Passenger pigeon, once present in the billions, gone.  Ash, on the way out.   If each member of a forest or prairie, is an essential part of the fabric, then that fabric is already permanently changed and cannot be regenerated.  Not even if the few members of the erased species can be re-engineered, or re-hybridized, or re-generated, to be resistant to the introduced diseases and changed environment.  Then there are the introduced insects and mammals, which are probably here to stay as well. 

There are indications that the North American forests and prairies have long been more like gardens and farms, than wild forests.  Native Americans transformed them by burning and planting, and their ancestors destroyed the megafauna to the point of extinction.  Megafauna - mastedons, wooly mammoths, sloths, tapirs, bison species, pronghorn, giant beavers, horses - were part of an ecosystem, interacting with and affecting plant growth, keeping some in control, controlling others.  Removal of native predators, means deer have proliferated to the point of being an invasive species, even when native - destroying palatable plants, and leaving unpalatable ones in place. 

Megafauna are thought to have lead to proliferation of pawpaws and persimmons.  Later, it was Native Americans who planted them. Now, it's us.  Both of these species range from the Southeast to the Mississippi basin, nowhere near where I live in Pacific NW.  So here, they are exotic tree species, like apples, peaches, pears, figs,  most plums and most cherries.

I know, there are lists of harmful exotics.  Especially, highly invasive ones.  In the southeast, that's kudzu.  In the Northwest, it's English Ivy, Himalayan Blackberry (actually, European), and Buddleia, Tansy ragwort, and others.  Some of these are really harmful, replacing other species and crowding others out, or toxic, like giant pigweed.  We don't think of it, but our lawn grasses are invasive species.  The dandelion, ubiquitous, and probably harmless, even beneficial, is invasive.  And probably can not be eradicated.  In our yards, many more - but maybe more annoying, as opposed to harmful on a vast scale, like Hyacinthoides, Bishopweed, in the Northwest, may fill a niche, and have a role where others don't survive.  Especially Hyancinthoides, which deer leave alone.

Pawpaw.  Image source:  vintageprintablecom.  Pawpaws don't look much like this.

 I have read that native pollenizing insects also are best adapted to the native plants, and not to exotics.  That may be true.  There are philosophical, as well as scientific, reasons.  But insects evolve fast.  That's why we have an ongoing chemical war against insects in factory farming - they evolve to resist each chemical that is sprayed against them.  I suspect they will also adapt, and many probably already have, to the different flower shapes and colors, different pollen types, and other characteristics of exotics.  Certainly, I have watched many pollinating insects devour nectar and pollen from nonnative alliums like Chinese chive, shallots, onions, and from buddleia, apple, non-native plum, non-native cherry flowers..

In the typical American garden, farm, suburban yard, locally derived plants can be nice, and have a clear role.  But there is no reason to avoid plants from the world's vast resources of centuries of importation, adaptation, genetics, and breeding.  Plants from elsewhere will often be better adapted, more useful, and more suitable to the highly changed and changing ecosystem.  

Replanting Collard Greens Stems. 11.23.17

Two replanted collard greens stems, and 2 plants left in place.  11.23.17

A couple of collard greens plants were in the way when I completed the blackberry fencing, so I pulled them up and threw them into the chicken yard.  The hens picked them clean, leaving just the stems and roots.

They still looked viable, although there were some buds that were also eaten off.  Last year's collard greens plants are still growing, so I thought maybe these would regrow if replant them.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  So I replanted them near two collard greens plants that are still growing from this summer.  We'll see what happens.

Horseradish Harvest. 11.23.17Horse

Horseradish Harvest.  11.23.17

Prepared Horseradish.  11.23.17

I dug and ground some horseradish.  Most of it broke off, so there is more to dig later, and will doubtless grow back anyway.  This was more than enough for enough horseradish sauce to last a few weeks.

Prep is very easy.  Wash off the soil, pare off the skin so the remaining root is pure white.   Cut into chunks.  Chop in food processor to tiny chunks but not pureed.  Drop into jar with vinegar.  I used white vinegar.  Store in fridge.  Don't sniff too aggressively - this stuff is potent!

I did re-plant some of the smaller roots, in a different raised bed, for easy harvest next year.

Chickens liked eating the leaves.  They ate every scrap of horseradish leaf, that I gave them.  I sniffed the leaves, and they didn't seem potent like the root.

A nice big chunk of horseradish, ready to chop.   11.23.17

Blackberries trellised, penned, and ready for winter. 11.23.17

These are the main blackberry bed now.  I built the trellises using logs salvaged from fallen trees, last year, and bamboo poles from our stand of bamboo.   I like the rigid cross beams, instead of wire or string, because rather then pulling inward, they provide some strength.

There is also a small fig tree in the blackberry garden.  I thought that tree was killed last winter, and just hadn't gotten around to removing it yet.  Smith fig.  If it doesn't bear next year, I might remove it anyway.  That's 5 years with less than 1 fig per year, so far.  I think Smith needs a hotter summer.  The origin is Louisiana.

The deer fencing is a recurring theme here.  Not much I can do about that, unless someone gets a permit to harvest the deer.  Might not be possible or safe in a neighborhood, however rural, with children and other people around.

The blackberry garden is completed for winter and beyond.  All I can think of as needed now is dormant pruning, and provide a bird net, next summer.

Prime Ark Freedom seems to have no sense of season.  It's still blooming.  If there is no true dormancy, that doesn't seem good for winter.  However, survival was sufficient last winter to provide a taste.  They are excellent, delicious, sweet, huge berries.  Since we are going into this winter with bigger, more established plants, they might survive better than they did last winter.

This is my first try with Arapaho and Triple Crown.  If Prime Ark Freedom isn't suitable, maybe they will be.

Mushrooms I Won't Touch! 11.23.2017

I'm guessing these are Amanita muscaria.  Regardless, we won't try eating them.  But nice to look at.  

Young Chestnut Tree Follow-up. 10.31.17

Grafted Maravale.  10.17.17

Grafted Maravale.  10.17.17

Grafted Marigoule.  10.17.17

 I have the chestnut trees tucked in for the fall/winter, with an arborist chip mulch and good fencing.  The fencing is a double layer, 5 feet tall, welded steel 4 inch by 2 inch mesh, with fine pastic net 1 inch by 1 inch mesh so the deer can't pull the leaves and branches through the stronger but larger mesh.  If they grow as well next year, as they did this year, they should only need the fence for another year, maybe two.

I'm being extra diligent because deer are becoming a bigger problem - increased population, fewer food sources, no predators, no hunting in my area.

There was a big difference in vigor and establishment.  Two grew about 3 or 3 1/2 feet, one grew a few inches.  That was Marigoule.  I moved it to a different spot, where it doesn't matter as much if it flourishes.  I have an order in for a replacement in the spot where it was.  That is already set up with fencing as well.

Seedling of Marissard.   10.15.17

Planted Garlic. 10.17.17

Today I planted garlic.  Three rows from my own harvested garlic, I think German Red.  Four rows of this Duganski from Territorial.  I also bought another type from Territorial, but the cloves were soft and shriveled.  I don't know if they are worth planting, or could have a disease.  I may try those in an unused raised bed, not anticipating planting onion family in that bed so maybe it would be worth a try.

Why The Biggest Expense Isn't Trees and Plants, It's Fencing. 10.17.17

First Turnip.  10.12.17

First turnip from the ones I planted this summer in July in a raised bed.  Looking good.  Nice flavor, crisp, not at all woody.

Nerine and Geraniums. 10.12.17

I moved these out of the rain, and will let them dry out as much as possible before moving them to the garage for the winter.  This planting is about 3 or 4 years old now.  The nerine is a nice surprise.  I thought they had died out.

New Load of Arborist Chips. Mulching Young Trees and Borders for Next Year. 10.14.17

 We had a large, old, dead tree cut down.  The arborist had a truck load of chipped tree branches, including those from our tree, so I asked for them to use as mulch.

It will take several truck loads to haul all of them.  So far, I've mulched a major section of the woods edge border, which I spent the last 18 months cleaning up and planting with trees, shrubs, and perennials.  It was fairly clean already, but with about 4 inch thickness of arborist chips, should not need any significant maintenance for most of 2018.

Chestnut Tree, One Year Old.  Double-Fenced, Mulched, and Ready for Winter.  10.12.17

That's a major step in reducing my workload next year.  Many of the things that I planted there, were unwanted plants and shrubs that needed a new home.  Some were sizeable.  I didn't want to buy things that might not do well, or more likely, be eaten by deer.  Deer are the major limitation to what I can grow.  At this point, I just want to get trees growing above deer browsing height, and stick to the ornamentals that they don't like to eat. I know they won't eat the dwarf mugo pines, crocosmia, gladiolas, ferns, Helleborus, daffodils, or hyacinthoides.  Not sure about the Rhododendrons.  I'm watching for deer damage to the Dawn Redwood, but so far they have not taken a liking to it.

I also mulched the year old Chestnut trees.  They still need some hardware cloth to protect from rodents, then they too are set for the winter and for 2018 as well.

Update: Transplanted Old, Minidwarf Apple Trees, 2 seasons later. 10.8.17

Jonagold on M27.  10.8.17

 These are dwarfs, on M27 rootstock.   I transplanted them last winter.  I think they are around 16 years old.  They did fine.  The Liberty had about 20 apples, maybe as much as it can handle anyway.   Then Jonagold only had 3, and of those only one looks edible.  That one is alternate year bearing anyway, and this was to be the off year.

I'm happy with how they responded to transplanting and care. 

Liberty on M27.  10.8.17

Kitchen Garden Harvest. 10.8.17

 The turnips were planted in a raised bed in July.  This is a massive turnip now.

The squashes are butternuts, scallops, and some compost volunteers.  Those may be natural hybrids of different types that I grew last year.

Fall/Winter Projects. A New Deer Cage for Young Chestnut Tree. 10.8.17

Maraval Chestnut Tree in Deer Cage.  10.7.17

Things are winding down for the gardening season.  I am starting some maintenance and improvement projects to help next year go better.

The make-shift deer cages mostly worked for the young chestnut trees.  Minimal damage.  However, I wanted room to grow for next year, potentially the last year or next-to-last year they will need deer cages.

This year, some parts of my orchard had major, disappointing, set-backs due to failed deer cages and more aggressive browsing.  I think there are more deer this year, and saw a group of five in a neighbor's yard this week.  There are no deer predators now, and hunting is not  allowed.  I don't know what will happen as the population increases above what the ecosystem can handle.  Meanwhile, with a hot dry summer, and probably more hunger and thirst, they ventured into tree and plant varieties that they would normally not eat, and they were more aggressive about getting into barriers that they would normally not bother with.

I usually use standard welded wire fencing, holes are 2 inches by 4 inches, and height 4 feet.  That was usually fairly secure, but then deer learned to grasp leaves that stuck out through the fencing, pulling to rip off branches much further in the cage.  In some cases, branches were pulled off the trees, leaving big wounds.  One tree was completely destroyed.  Deer also reached over some of the fences to chomp down branches that emerged above the cages.  So, I changed some of the fences to plastic fencing with 1 inch gaps.  That prevented leaves from sticking out through the gaps, but the material was too flexible, and in some cases the deer pushed the fencing down, giving access to entire trees to eat the tree.  I want to be more prepared for next year, and avoid more disappointing damage if possible.

Maraval Chestnut Tree in Deer Cage.  10.7.17

Two of the new chestnut trees put on roughly 4 feet of growth this year, growing from about 2 feet tall to a little more than 6 feet tall.  I cobbled together protective fencing as they grew, which mostly worked but didn't feel stable.  I used the heavier metal fencing, and added either chicken-wire fencing, or plastic 1-inch mesh fencing, as a second layer of protection.  Anticipating next year's growth, I wanted wider, taller fences, so built a new one yesterday for one of the trees.

Now it has stronger fence posts to prevent knocking the fencing over.  The fencing is 6 feet tall, and is 2 layer, with both the sturdy, wide-mesh metal, and the narrower mesh plastic.  As the tree grows next year, I may need to add a bit more, higher, level, but I think this will be good, for the most part, for protection in 2018.  After that, I think these trees will be tall enough to dispense with the fences.

This was the chestnut variety Maraval.  Next, I need to to the same for the Marissard seedling that grew as much, and the smaller Marigoule that I moved to a new location last week.

Edit 10/8/17:  Now Marissard seedling is also in a new, larger, double-fencing cage too.  I hope these work.  It's really disappointing to check on trees and discovered that a year of effort, or more, has become a salad for roaming deer.

Marissard Chestnut Tree in Deer Cage.   10.8 17

Yates American Persimmon. First Taste. 10.7.17

Yates American Persimmon.  10.7.17

Today was my first taste of any American persimmon, and in this case, the Yates persimmon that I planted in early 2015.  This tree has about a dozen fruits.  The ripe persimmons almost fall from the tree, when touched. 

These are smaller than Nikita's Gift, and earlier.  Not quite as sweet, I think as Nikita's Gift or Saijo.  They are a wonderful rich flavor, thick texture, not as liquidy as some ripened astringent Asian persimmons I've eaten.

All I can say is, definitely worth growing.

Yates American Persimmon.  10.7.17

Airlie Red Flesh Apple. First Harvest. 10.5.17

 Last year I picked up some scion of "Arlie Red Flesh" apple at the Home Orchard Society scion exchange.  It took, grew rapidly, and there are a few apples on that branch.  This was my first one, ever.  Cool to look at, slightly tart, sweet, pretty good tasting apple.   Others have re-named and trademarked this apple as "Hidden Rose", but it is not patented.

Transplanting Columnar Apple Tree. 10.1.17

Columnar Apple Tree Grafted to Rootstock Sucker.  Transplanted 9.30.17

Rainy season has started, so I think it's a good time to transplant some trees.

A few years ago, root-stock suckers grew from an apple tree that I had cut down the year before.  I believe it was a semi-dwarf size.  Just playing, I grafted a columnar variety onto the root-stock.  This weekend, I wanted to transplant it to a more suitable, permanent location.

When I dug it up, the root was rather oddly shaped, I imagine due to the origin from a prior tree.   I don't know if it will survive, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Dawn Redwood, One Year Later. 10.1.17

Dawn Redwood Tree at One Year.  10.1.17

Dawn Redwood Leaves.  10.1.17

 Last year we planted a Dawn Redwood (Metasequois glyptostroboides) tree.  I followed the recommendation of Washington State Horticulturist Linda Chalker-Scott, and washed the soil from the roots, pruned crossed or damaged roots, before planting.  It had so little remaining root, I wondered if it would live.

It did nicely, leafed out nicely, and grew about a foot taller.   I didn't expect much. The adage is First year sleep, Second year creep, Third year leap.  I think the second year grown is at least "creep"  so maybe next year it will leap.  These trees have the potential to grow 5 feet per year.

Dawn Redwood when planted 11.17.16

Leyland Cypress Trees at 18 Months. 9.23.17

Leyland Cypress Trees at 18 Months.  9.,23,17

Leyland Cypress is a naturally occurring hybrid between Monterey Cypress and Nootka Cypress.  They are sterile, so cannot become invasive.  For some situations, they are excessively vigorous.  We wanted fast growing, densely bushy trees to line our yard, as privacy barrier and to shade out the encroaching blackberry vines on the far side.  The current scrubby trees have been dying and falling over, and we wanted something more durable.

These trees were about waist height, when I planted them approx. 18 months ago.  I watered them in 2016, but only twice during this hot dry summer in 2017.  They have no deer damage at all, very important in my yard which is a Smörgåsbord on a deer super - highway.  These are among the fastest and most vigorous trees that I have planted.  At this rate, next year they should start filling in, between the trees, and develop into a nice, woodsy, privacy barrier.

Jonared Apples. First Harvest. And Apple Pie.

These are Jonared apples. I grew them for nostalgic reasons. My parents had a Jonathan apple tree in their yard, more than 50 years ago. I couldn't find a Jonathan at the time that I planted this tree, but Jonared is just a red sport, so the apples should be the same. This is the first year that it bore. I planted it about 4 years ago.  The fruit set was very good this year - several dozen - but deer managed to get into the tree cage, and damaged about half.  This was a hot dry summer, and I watered this tree, but not a lot.

The Jonared apples are crisp and tart, not very sweet.  I read that Jonathan apples need a Midwestern climate to  reach peak flavor.  That's OK, my wish was to make a pie.

 In our household, during my parents' later years, it was my dad who made the pies.  He always used tapioca starch as a juice thickener, but I usually use flour. In his honor, I used tapioca starch this time, sold locally as tapioca flour, in the specialty flours section at the grocery store. It worked much better than my usual flour, wasn't soupy at all, even with a hot pie. I usually add a half teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla that I mix with the sugar before mixing with the apples. Very happy, reminded me of my dad's pies.

Playing with Gourds. 9.25.17

 These are birdhouse gourds that I grew last year.  I let them dry in the sunroom, where they developed discoloration, I assume from molds, as they dried.  When they dried completely, that growth stopped, leaving interesting colors and patterns.

This week I played a little, and sanded 2 of them with #220 sandpaper, then gave them a coat of oil - based, satin finish, polyurethane. 

I think they came out interesting.

There are several more to play with.  I think I'll try growing them again next year.  Our season is a little short and summer a bit cool, for optimum growth and production, but I liked what we did get.

Fall Fruits - First Harvest 9.23.17

The smaller red apples are Jonared. 

The small peaches are Charlotte, didn't do great this year but still, it's some fall peaches. 

The golden apples are Porter.  The large red/green apple is Sutton Beauty. 

Dark blue, Stanley Plums.

Various Asian pears.

At the center, an Asia/American pear hybrid, "Maxie".  Actually, not very good.  Maybe I didn't let it ripen enough.

Prime Ark Freedom Blackberries 9.16.18

 These are some of my first Prime-Ark Freedom blackberries.  I'm very impressed with the size, juiciness, sweetness, and flavor.  I have never seen such large blackberries.

Unfortunately, the deer like eating the plants.  I'm building a better enclosure for them.  I definitely want to see how they do next year.

Sweet Treat Pluerry and Hollywood Plums. 9.3.17Plum

Plums as of 9.3.17

Hollywood is almost overripe, and Sweet Treat are just coming into their prime.  Together, and along with some grapes, they make a great sweet fruit salad desert.

I didn't know what would happen with Sweet Treat.  There isn't much info out there on pollinators.  All I had blooming when Sweet Treat was in bloom, were Hollywood and Crimson Spire plums.  Apparently that was enough.  This is about year #4 for this tree, first substantial crop, a couple dozen plums.