Hedges for Habitat - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Hedges & Habitat

Water-wise Hedges & Screens
That Provide Habitat

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSU Dominguez Hills & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Madrona Marsh Preserve
Project SOUND – 2012 (our 8th year) August 4 & 7, 2011
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

What is a mixed hedge or hedgerow?
Mixed hedges/hedgerows are not a new
 A row of trees/shrubs & other concept
plants that separate
agricultural fields
 Hedgerows have long played
 A narrow planting strip that an important role in
grows along field borders, agriculture.
fence lines, property
 Since Bronze Age people first
boundaries and waterways
used them to divide fields,
http://blog.histouries.co.uk/2011/03/28/hedges-and-hedgerows-in-england/
 A living fence mark property boundaries and
control livestock in Europe
 A small ecosystem that has all more than 5,000 years ago,
the key ingredients that an http://www.ehow.com/info_12000999_traditional-hedge-laying.html
farmers around the world
animal needs to survive: food, have appreciated the benefits
shelter, nesting and denning hedgerows provide
sites.


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1/6/2013

What are the benefits of hedgerows? What does a classical hedgerow look like?

 Security – keeping people/ animals
in or out
 Provide privacy screens and reduce
noise
 Act as a windbreak
 Reduce soil erosion
http://www.ofnc.ca/trailguide/tour3_e.php
 Attract beneficial insects and
reduce pests http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/wahedgerows.asp Looks like a whole garden in a narrow space

 Provide foods and medicinal plants
 Traditional hedgerows contain a complex mix of evergreen and
 Provide materials for crafts deciduous plants, including:
 Provide a backdrop for other plants  Trees/Large shrubs
 Increase plant diversity  Smaller shrubs & sub-shrubs/ Vines and climbers
 Provide habitat  Perennial wildflowers
 Grasses
 Ferns/ Annual wildflowers
http://www.citrona.com/nativeplanthedgerow.htm

But what do hedgerows have to do with urban/ Can we really create hedgerows in
suburban Los Angeles county? urban/suburban S. California?
Yes, if we understand that:
 We need to consider the
appropriate scale of plants

 We understand that our
hedgerows will be small

 We plant the right types of
plants to provide the habitat
values that are an essential
http://www.dietrick.org/projects/bbb.html component of true hedgerows

http://www.barrsam.com/ww/index%20012.htm In short, we need to learn how to design S. California Garden Hedgerows


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1/6/2013

In fact, our small gardens make hedgerows Any habitat is better
even more important than no habitat
 Make the most of small
 For maximum habitat benefit, a
spaces by multi-tasking
California Backyard Hedgerow
 Screening
should be:
 Beauty http://www.wildwillowdesign.com/residential-landscape-design/featured-projects/napa-1/

 Functional assets (food, etc)  At least 20 feet long – the longer
the better
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mechanoid_dolly/4922239063/

 Habitat
 At least 8 feet wide – 10-12 ft or
 Make good use of limited more is even better (consider it a
large mixed bed)
space by:
 Growing plants close together  Contain a mix of large shrubs,
S. California Garden Hedgerows  Combining a number of smaller shrubs/vines, flowering
are essentially wide, carefully different kinds of plants perennials and grasses
planned and densely planted  Making optimal use of
 Feature plants native to the local
garden beds vertical space area – or with similar flora/fauna

The hedge continuum To cut or not to cut?

 Many native hedge plants
can be pruned or not – the
choice is yours

 You can even cut one side
http://www.ruralni.gov.uk/print/hedge-cutting.jpg
and leave the other uncut

 Once you choose to cut,
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1589974,00.html
http://www.nzplantpics.com/cat_hedges.htm
you’re committed to cutting

 Choosing to cut has
formal
consequences

© Project SOUND http://www.pcorbett.co.uk/hedge-cutting-contractor.htm © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

The formal hedge The informal hedge

 Often composed of a single
 May contain one or several
type of shrub different species of plants
 Pruned to formal – often  Plants can differ in size,
geometric - shapes even shape.
 Maintained by regular pruning
http://www.hotgardens.net/hedges.htm

– often several times a year http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/Services/Greenways+Countryside+Project/Photos/The+Fonnereau+Way.htm
 Are lower-maintenance
 Requires plants with certain  Initial shaping may be
characteristics: required
 Moderate growth rate
 Yearly pruning to maintain
 Densely branched general size, promote plant
 Fine-textured foliage; small health
leaves
 Can take regular shearing  May be too large and unruly
for home gardens
http://blogs.move.com/do-it-green/2007/06/06/hedges-a-green-alternative-to-
fences/

The semi-formal The S. California Garden Hedgerow
hedge  Is designed to be in scale
with local gardens:
 Rely on pruning to maintain  At least 20 ft long
natural shape.  At least 8-10 ft wide
 Are a little bit more formal –  Uses CA native plants (at
so appropriate for urban least primarily)
gardens.
 Work well with many of our  Usually ranges in size
native species. from large shrubs (6-10
ft tall) to groundcovers
 Need enough space in the
garden to show their form.  Provides a screen
 Are more forgiving; pruning  Reflects the owner’s
is less crucial. desires in design, plant
choices, formality

© Project SOUND http://www.wildwillowdesign.com/residential-landscape-design/featured-projects/napa-1/ © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

The new backyard – a clean slate Steps in designing a S. California Garden
Hedgerow
 Draw a scale map of the area

 Do site assessment: light, etc.

 Decide on a plant palette:
60 ft  N. Calif. Coast – Water Zone 2 to 2-3
 Western L.A. Co. – Zone 2
 Sonoran Desert – Water Zone 1-2 to 2
15 ft (2 shrubs)
 Choose a ‘Backbone Shrub’ species;
determine number of plants needed

 Choose complementary ‘Filler Shrubs’

 Complete design with smaller shrubs,
sub-shrubs, perennials, grasses &
groundcovers

‘Backbone Shrub’ – the key to a good Zone 2 to 2-3 – Northern Coast
hedgerow  Will constitute 40 to 70% percent
of the mixed hedgerow
 Should be selected first.
 Should be a plant with:
 Evergreen foliage
 A good growth rate;
 Nice, but neutral-looking, foliage
 Pest/disease resistance
 Appropriate for your site
 Added value: flowers/fruit/seeds
 Comparison shop before you
choose
 Compare 3-4 potential Backbone
Shrubs before making final ‘Backbone Shrub’ : Coffeeberry (Frangula/Rhamnus californica)
selection
 Choose the species with the most
‘value’
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Myrica_californica.jpg


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1/6/2013

How dense to plant the large shrubs? Zone 2 to 2-3 – Northern Coast

 Principles:
 Need some overlap – no gaps
 Need to insure that the death of
one shrub doesn’t leave a gap
 Want it to fill in as quickly as
possible
4-6 ft on center  Don’t want to over-crowd species
1-2 ft that normally have room to
stretch

 Rules of thumb:
 1-2 foot overlap between adjacent 8-9 large shrubs
mature large shrubs
 Example: 8 ft wide shrubs are
4 ft radius/8 ft diameter
planted 4 to 6 feet apart


But what if we want our hedgerow to be Steps in designing a California Backyard
more drought tolerant – and local? Hedgerow
 Draw a scale map of the area

 Do site assessment: light, etc.

 Decide on a plant palette:
 N. Calif. Coast – Water Zone 2 to 2-3
 Western L.A. Co. – Water Zone 2
 Sonoran Desert – Water Zone 1-2 to 2

 Choose a ‘Backbone Shrub’ species;
determine number of plants needed
http://earthfriendlylandscapes.blogspot.com/2010/07/planting-with-hedges-in-california.html

 Choose complementary ‘Filler Shrubs’
No problem – we’ve got a wealth of
large evergreen shrubs native to  Complete design with smaller shrubs,
http://nativeson.com/annotated_catalog/qcatalog.htm
western L.A. County sub-shrubs, perennials, grasses &
groundcovers
Lemonadeberry - Rhus integrifolia

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1/6/2013

Western L.A. Co. Palette: Water Zone 2 Zone 1-2 to 2: local native backbone plants

 Large shrubs: backbone candidates

 Ceanothus crassifolius: white/gray
 Ceanothus cuneatus: white/green
 Ceanothus megacarpus : white/green

 Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber: http://sbwildflowers.wordpress.com/wildflowers/rham
naceae/ceanothus/ceanothus-cuneatus/
http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/sp
ecies/Ceanothus_megacarpus_megacarpus.ht

ins/green
m

Ceanothus crassifolius Ceanothus cuneatus Ceanothus megacarpus
 Heteromeles arbutifolia: white/green

 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia: white/green
 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii: white/green

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/mechanoid_dolly/sets/72157624828039022/

© Project SOUND Heteromeles arbutifolia
© Project SOUND

Zone 1-2 to 2: local native backbone plants Planning a hedgerow –  Appropriate for site/compatible
with other plants
take time in planning  Size
 Light
 Soils
 Water needs

 Aesthetic considerations
 Foliage characteristics: color,
texture, etc.
 Flowers: color, season, etc.
Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber Prunus ilicifolia
 Fruits/seeds: color, season, etc.

 Other benefits
 Scent; edible; medicinal; etc.

 Habitat value
 What species: insects, birds, etc
Remember, your hedgerow  What they provide: food, shelter,
will be around for a long time nest sites, perches

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1/6/2013

How do the local backbone shrubs stack up? How do the local backbone shrubs stack up?

Ceanothus species Toyon – Heteromeles arbutifolia Mountain Mahogany - Cercocarpus Native Cherries - Prunus ilicifolia

 Flowers: abundant, white, spring  Flowers: abundant, cream, summer  Flowers: seeds showy  Flowers: masses of white, spr/su
 Fruits: insignificant looking  Fruits: showy, red in winter  Fruits: no  Fruits: edible cherries, fall
 Other: soap; dye  Other: dye; medicinal  Other: medicinal; dye  Other: fruit; medicinal; dye
 Aesthetic: pretty; neat,  Aesthetic: neat; nice green color;  Aesthetic: pleasant; neutral  Aesthetic: shiny leaves, good color,
evergreen; well-known can prune to tree shape; well-known background; white bark; can be pretty flowers, fruits
 Hedge characteristics: good;  Hedge characteristics: good; dense tree-like  Hedge characteristics: excellent,
dense & take semi-formal hedging & take formal/informal hedging  Hedge characteristics: informal formal/informal, narrow screens
 Habitat: bees: good; birds: cover  Habitat: insects – good; birds – or formal; easy to maintain  Habitat: bees – excellent; Pale
& fruits/seeds cover, nest, fruits  Habitat: bees – excellent; birds Swallowtail host plant; birds –
– perch, nest, cover, seeds perch, nest, cover, seeds

Western L.A. Co. backbone shrub: Toyon
Replacing the old (short) hedge

http://www.jeunitedrealty.com/listing/2009-robinson-street-%7Cb-redondo-beach-s12013328

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1/6/2013

How many 8-10 ft backbone shrubs?
How many 8-10 ft backbone shrubs?
 Place one shrub at
each end – each 5 ft
in from edge

 12 feet remain

6 ft  You have room for a
total of 3 plants –
6 ft planted 6 feet on
22 ft
center
22 ft  You might want to:
 Use just a backbone
species for lg. shrub
 Choose a filler shrub
that looks similar to
the backbone

Replacing the old (short) hedge
What do we still need?

Aesthetics/Human Uses Habitat

 Have  Have
 Summer flowers  Summer nectar
5 ft 6 ft 6 ft  Winter fruits
 Winter red berries
 Dye/medicinal plant  Good cover/nest sites
Toyon Toyon or Mountain Toyon
Mahogany
 Need  Need
 Winter/spring color -flowers  Seeds
 Colored flowers  ? Fruits:
 ? Different foliage  Grass: nests; seeds; Skipper
habitat


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1/6/2013

Need 3 more local large shrubs Possible local filler shrubs
 Large shrubs
 Filler
 Backbone  Arctostaphylos glauca
 Ceanothus spinosus
 Ceanothus crassifolius: white/gray  Comarostaphylis
 Ceanothus cuneatus: white/green diversifolia
 Ceanothus megacarpus : white/green  Cornus glabrata
 Crossosoma californicum Local Ceanothus
 Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber:  Garrya veatchii Nevin’s Barberry – Mahonia nevinii
ins/green  Mahonia nevinii
 Laurel Sumac (Malosma
 Heteromeles arbutifolia: white/green laurina) ??
 Rhamnus crocea
 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia:  Rhus integrifolia
white/green  Quercus berberidifolia
 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii: white/green  ? Xylococcus bicolor

Summer Holly Spiny Reberry
© Project SOUND Comarostaphylis diversifolia Rhamnus crocea © Project SOUND

Western L.A. County Palette: Water Zone 2 Western L.A. County Palette: Water Zone 2

• Toyon - Heteromeles arbutifolia
• Wedgeleaf Ceanothus - Ceanothus cuneatus
• Summer Holly - Comarostaphylis diversifolia


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1/6/2013

Western L.A. Co. Palette: smaller species
What do we still need?
 Other
 Achillea millefolium
Aesthetics/Human Uses Habitat  Smaller shrubs
 Artemisia californica
 Amorpha californica var.
californica  Boykinia rotundifolia
 Have  Grindelia stricta var.
 Have  Brickellia californica
 Summer flowers platyphylla
 Lycium californicum
 Winter red berries  Summer nectar  Salvia spathacea
 Ribes aureum
 Dye/medicinal plant  Winter fruits  Solanum wallacei
 Ribes indecorum
 Good cover/nest sites  Solidago californica
 Winter/spring color –  Salvia leucophylla
Fruits: more variety  Tauschia arguta
flowers   Salvia mellifera
 Venegasia carpesioides
 Native grasses
 Need  Need
 Colored flowers  Seeds
 ? Different foliage  Grass: nests; seeds;
 Mid- and low-growing Skipper habitat
species

Zone 2 (local) backbone shrub: Toyon Zone 2 (local) backbone shrub: Toyon

• Golden Currant - Ribes aureum
• Purple Sage - Salvia leucophylla
• Purple Sage - Salvia leucophylla
• Western Yarrow - Achillea millefolia
• Western Yarrow - Achillea millefolia
• Foothill Needlegrass - Nassella lepida
• Foothill Needlegrass - Nassella lepida


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1/6/2013

We’ve transformed the old (short) hedge Placing smaller shrubs/other small plants

 Plants nearest to the large
shrubs should overlap the
large shrubs – 1 ft overlap –
you will prune these as if
they are an extension of the
large shrubs

 Plants further from the large
shrubs can be spaced further
apart or overlapped –
depends on the plants and
• Golden Currant: colored flowers/edible berries/contrasting foliage your personal taste
• Purple Sage : scented foliage (herb) /colored flowers/nectar/seeds/
gray foliage

• Western Yarrow: flowers/beneficial insects/seeds/medicinal

The hedgerow at Sonoran Desert Palette: Water Zone 1-2 to 2
Heritage Creek
Preserve

© Project SOUND http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/JoshuaTree/JoshuaTree4.html © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

A little less water (Sonoran Desert Palette) Zone 1-2: Sonoran Desert backbone shrubs
 Large shrubs  Smaller shrubs
 Abutilon palmeri
 Backbone
 Acalypha californica
 Arctostaphylos pungens
 Encelia farinosa
 Forestiera pubescens var.
 Justicia californica
pubescens
 Sphaeralcea ambigua
 Lycium brevipes
 Simmondsia chinensis http://www.delange.org/ManzanitaPointleaf/ManzanitaPointleaf.htm

 Other Point-leaf Manzanita Jojoba - Simmondsia chinensis
Arctostaphylos pungens Lycium brevipes
 Filler  Ericameria nauseosa
 Calliandra eriophylla  Geraea canescens
 Fallugia paradoxa  Mirabilis multiflora vars
glandulosa and pubescens
 Hyptis emoryi
 Nolina bigelovii
 Lycium andersonii
 Penstemon eatonii
 Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia
 Penstemon palmeri
 Prunus andersonii
 Viguiera parishii
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result. http://seedsofsuccess.smugmug.com/keyword/pubescens/1/11
php?id_image=1004 53460478_2UbVe#!i=279467734&k=Y7pqc

Desert Olive - Forestiera pubescens

*Jojoba – Simmondsia chinensis Characteristics of Jojoba depend a bit on
the site  Size:
 3-12 ft tall (usually 6-10 ft)
 6-10 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Large woody shrub or small tree
(larger forms in wetter sites)
 Many branches; dense –
provides good cover

 Foliage:
 Thick, leathery gray-green leaves
 Evergreen except in severe
drought; deer & rabbits eat it
 Leaves move through day to
minimize sun exposure

 Roots: deep taproots; don’t disturb
© 2005 Michelle Cloud-Hughes
© 2003 Monty Rickard © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Jojobas is really  Soils:
Jojoba is gaining popularity as a
drought tolerant  Texture: well-drained; sandy or water-wise shrub
rocky best
 pH: any local (6.0-8.0)
 Really hardy – great for
 Light: places that get little
 Full sun to part-shade Remind you a maintenance (street
 Takes hot exposures bit of olive trees! medians; roadsides)

 Water:  Can be used as a small tree
 Winter: no flooding, but needs
 Makes wonderful water-wise
good soil replenishment http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/speci

hedges, screens, windbreaks
es/sich.htm

 Summer: best with occasional
water (Zone 1-2 to 2) but can be  Informal – little or no
treated as Zone 1 pruning

 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils  Formal – clipped or hedged
(after seed production)
 Other: use an inorganic mulch
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=3245 (crushed rock; coarse sand)  Hedgerow foundation plant

Desert Olive: large
* Desert Olive – Forestiera pubescens var. pubescens shrub or small tree?
 Size:
 10-15+ ft tall; mod. long-lived
 12-15 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Woody shrub/tree; lovely gray
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database bark ; moderate growth rate
 Somewhat mounded shape –
reminds me of Laurel Sumac –
but may be almost vine-like
 Densely branched, some thorny;
hard wood (used for tools)

 Foliage:
 Winter deciduous
 Bright green/gray-green leaves
– yellow color in fall
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FOPUP
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=739
 Roots: naturally clump-forming
© Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Desert Olive is very
undemanding Flowers are reminiscent of Forsythia
 Soils:  Blooms:
 Texture: any, but well-drained best  Spring: usually Feb/Mar. in
western L.A. County – depends on
 pH: any local (6.0-8.0) http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Trees/Shrubs/mexpriv.htm night temperatures
 Light: full sun to part-shade;  Often flowers before plants leaf
out – like Forsythia
 Water:
 Winter: needs enough for ground-  Flowers:
water replenishment  Tiny and rudimentary, but lots of
 Summer: regular water first year; them
then Zone 1-2 to 2  Clustered along branches – quite
showy & sweet-scented (like all
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils olives)
 Important nectar source for
 Other: tolerates heat, high winds, nectar insects (mostly native bees
moderate soil salinity & butterflies)

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/forestier © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
a%20pubescens.htm http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/forestiera%20pubescens.htm

Desert Olive is a true olive Can be pruned and
 Family: Oleaceae (Olive Family)
shaped, even hedged
 trees or shrubs comprising about 30 genera
and 600 species
 Many members of the family are  Can be sheared to a
economically significant. reasonable hedge
Includes: Forestiera &
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pa

ges/forestiera%20pubescens.htm
 Mix with other species in
 The olive (Olea europaea) - important for
mixed hedge or hedgerow
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Trees/Shrubs/mexpriv.htm
fruit and oil
 The ashes (Fraxinus) - tough wood
 Forsythia, lilacs (Syringa), jasmines  Very adaptable and
(Jasmonium), privets (Ligustrum), are useful – could probably
valued as ornamental plants even be espaliered
 Important habitat plants: food, shelter
& nesting sites (pollinator insects; larval  Limit water to provide
food for Hairstreaks, Sphinx Moth; better shape
many birds & animals eat fruit and
utilize shelter)

http://tree-species.blogspot.com/2007/11/olive-tree.html  The ‘olives’ of Forestiera may sometime be
an important source of olive oil.
European Olive - Olea Europaea
http://flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2640329338/in/set-72157605994561368/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2973733432/

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1/6/2013

* Baja Desert-thorn – Lycium brevipes * Baja Desert-thorn – Lycium brevipes
 s Channel Islands, western Sonoran
Desert

 CA and NW Mexico

 Coastal bluffs, canyons, below 2000’

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7625,7636,7639

© 2002 Charles E. Jones © 2010 Aaron Schusteff


Baja Desert-thorn: typical Lycium Sweet little flowers
 Size:
 8-12 ft tall  Blooms: in spring; usually Mar-
 8-12 ft wide May in our area

 Growth form:  Flowers:
 Large, woody shrub  Masses of small, white to
purplish flowers
 Mounded, densely branching © 2010 Neal Kramer

(good for hedges)  Sweet and old-fashioned
© 2010 Aaron Schusteff
 Stout thorns  May be almost hidden by
leaves
 Gray-brown bark
 Attract bees, butterflies
 Foliage: and hummingbirds
 Small, rounded leaves
 Fruits:
 Succulent, pale green
 Like tiny tomatoes
 Evergreen or drought
 Abundant and showy
deciduous


16

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Hedges for Habitat - Notes