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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) in Mother Nature's Garden of Health |
Right
now, some the prettiest flowers are in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health; in
fact, it was hard to choose between them.
But the showiest by far is Farewell-to-spring, Clarkia amoena. Of the three
Clarkias we grow, this is the latest to bloom – truly ‘Farewell-to-spring’ or
‘Summer’s Darling’. To learn about our
other Clarkias see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/01/plant-of-month-january-purple-clarkia.html
and http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/05/plant-of-month-may-elegant-clarkia.html.
Farewell-to-spring
is native to the coastal plains and ranges of Northern California north to
British Columbia, Canada. It generally
grows in drier areas of its native range, making it a good choice for local
gardens. Like our more local Clarkias,
this species is an annual wildflower. Many
annual wildflowers like the Clarkias adapt well to garden life, even outside
their native range.
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - growth habit |
Farewell-to-spring
germinates in our garden in spring, when the weather begins to warm up. The plants are many-branched with an open,
somewhat stiff upright habit. The leaves
are narrow, alternate and usually a medium green. The entire plant is 1-3 feet tall; in our
garden Clarkia amoena is more robust
than the Purple clarkia and more branched than the Elegant clarkia.
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden |
In
its native setting, Clarkia amoena
blooms from June until August – sometimes even well into fall along the
Northwest coast. It usually flowers when other wildflowers and cool-season
grasses are turning brown (see above). In Southern California gardens, it may begin
blooming in May and will continue well into June or even July. Flowering seems to depend on warm conditions,
so a warm dry spring promotes earlier flowering. The bloom season can be prolonged by summer
water.
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - range of flower colors |
This
is perhaps the loveliest of the native Clarkias. The flower color ranges from pale pink to
bright magenta, ‘hot pink’, red and lavender. The
four petals are most commonly pink with darker magenta splotches towards the
center. The flowers in our Garden of Health (below) represent this common form.
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - close-up of flowers |
The
flowers are approximately an inch across, with four petals characteristic of
the Clarkias. The petals are
satiny/shiny and extremely vivid and lovely; photographs rarely do them justice. The 8 stamens (male organs) are divided among
four short and four long forms (the long ones are obvious in the left flower above;
they appear to be ‘striped’ with pollen).
The four fused stigma (female organs) are usually white and extend
beyond the stamens (see the right flower, above). Bees are the most common pollinators (see
native bee in above photo), although flowers attract other insect pollinators
and hummingbirds.
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - seedlings |
Like
many native annuals, Clarkia amoena
is not fussy about soil type, doing equally well in sandy or clay soils. It blooms well in full sun, light shade or
even part-shade (several hours of sun a day).
It does need moist soils from the time of germination until it’s nearly
ready to bloom. In dry winters, you’ll
need to supply some extra water.
We
sometimes (particularly when seeds are limited) start annual wildflower
seedlings in pots. Clarkias can be
tricky; plant them out when they are 4-6 inches tall and only when the soil is
moist and temperatures are cool. Then be
sure to keep them well-watered. It’s
often easier to just sow the seeds directly in the garden. Plant them in winter, just before a good
rain storm. Barely cover them, as they need
light to germinate. And don’t worry
about thinning the seedlings; they actually grow best when crowded (as they are
in the wild).
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| Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) - Mother Nature's Garden of Health |
We
let Farewell-to-spring self-seed in our garden.
We allow the soils dry out as flowering ceases; then simply leave the
seed pods on the plants to open and naturally reseed. A thick
layer of mulch is a common cause for decline of wildflowers over time. All
Clarkias need bare ground, a thin gravel/sand mulch or a very thin organic
mulch to come back year after year. We pull
many a Clarkia amoena seedling from
our decomposed granite (DG) pathways, which provide the perfect conditions for
this annual.
Like
other native Clarkias, the seeds of Farewell-to-spring are tasty and can be
parched and eaten as a pinole or used as a seasoning in baked goods, on salads,
etc. The young plants can also be used
as cooked greens (see http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/02/california-gourmet-native-plants-for.html and http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/03/california-gourmet-recipes-for-native.html
).
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| Pink Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) with yellow Gumplant (Grindelia camporum) |
In
summary, visitors enjoy Clarkia amoena
each year in our garden. It provides a
splash of bright pink color during the transition between spring and summer,
when floral color can sparse. Like all annual
wildflowers, it’s a useful filler plant, particularly in young gardens where larger
plants have yet to reach mature size. And
all Clarkias make wonderful cut flowers; in fact, some gardeners grow them for
just this purpose.
Consider
including Farewell-to-spring in the summer flower garden, where it adds an
old-fashioned charm. If you need a spot
of summer color on a porch or patio, grow it in a container (at least 12 x 12
inches). Include it amongst the native
grasses, where it contrasts so perfectly with the golden foliage. And consider including it in the vegetable garden;
it will dress up the garden while attracting insect pollinators to your summer
vegetables.
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
We welcome your comments
(below). You can also send your
questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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