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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - Mother Nature's Backyard |
As
Southern California becomes hotter and drier, local gardeners search for plants
that will thrive in our changing climate. Increasingly attractive are species
from the Sonoran Desert - plants that do well with heat and low rainfall. Those that grow in washes and intermittent
streams can even tolerate the occasional wet winters of western Southern
California. That’s why we’ve advocated certain
Sonoran Desert plants in previous postings: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/09/sustainable-gardening-trees-for.html
Desert
mock verbena is a good example of a desert plant that can transition to a
garden setting. In fact, we’ve planted several in Mother Nature’s Backyard this
year. While it normally blooms a bit earlier, it’s such a pretty addition we
chose it as our Plant of the Month. You
may want to look for it in the fall native plant sales.
Glandularia gooddingii is native to the eastern Mojave and
northern Sonoran Deserts from Southwestern Utah and New Mexico south to
northern Mexico. In California, it’s
limited to the desert mountains of eastern San Bernardino County. The common names for this plant reflect its Southwestern
desert origins:
Southwestern mock vervain; Southwestern vervain; Goodding's
verbena; Mojave verbena.
The
scientific name honors Leslie Newton Goodding (1880-1967), a botanist and educator
who collected extensively in the American Southwest, particularly in Arizona. [1] Another well-known native plant that bears
his name is the Goodding’s Black Willow (Salix
gooddingii). The scientific name is
pronounced: glan-doo-LAIR-ee-uh good-DING-ee-eye.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - growth habit |
Desert mock verbena is an herbaceous perennial. It grows only 1-2 ft. (30 to 60 cm.) tall and
2-3 ft. wide (1 meter). The overall form
of the plant is mounded to spreading. In
fact, the species is often used as a groundcover in suburban desert
gardens. The stems are slender, square
and hairy.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - foliage |
The leaves of Glandularia gooddingii are medium green and also softly
hairy. Their shape is variable, ranging from lobed to coarsely toothed. As seen in the photo, above, the leaves often
have three lobes that are deeply incised or roughly toothed. The overall effect
is lacy green foliage from late winter to early summer. In the wilds, plants become dormant during
the hot, dry summer. Since our plants
are young, we’ve given them a little summer water this year to get them
established. So ours remained green a bit
longer.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - flower stalks |
Gardeners
like Desert mock verbena for its verbena-like flowers. If you favor the looks
of verbena or lantana, this is a native to consider. In its native setting, Glandularia gooddingii typically blooms from April to June, though
it may bloom outside this window depending on summer rains or irrigation. The flowers are lilac-purple, pale pink or
white. Individual flowers are 1/2 inch (1.3 cm)
wide, with five petals fused to form a tubular corolla. Flowers grow in dense clusters on stems above
the foliage. The effect is charming and
quite showy; plants will sometimes appear literally covered in blooms. The flowers attract butterflies and
hummingbirds – yet another benefit.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - flowers |
Glandularia gooddingii can be grown in any well-drained
soil. It thrives in full sun to
part-shade and needs no fertilizer unless grown in a container. We suggest planting this species in fall or
winter, then giving it winter water if nature doesn’t provide. Plants look their best with occasional summer
water – perhaps every 2-4 weeks from June to August, depending on soil and
temperatures. It’s important to let the
soil dry out between waterings; plants can succumb to root rot in all but sandy
soils.
Desert mock verbena is a short-lived perennial; perhaps 3-4
years is common. But if happy, it will
reseed on bare ground, keeping you in plants for years to come. Some gardeners deadhead flowers immediately to lengthen
the flowering period. We advocate waiting
to deadhead flower stalks after seeds have spread (or been eaten by
birds). That’s really about all that’s
needed in terms of management. Like most
native perennials, plants will die back naturally in fall.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - first year |
Glandularia gooddingii is one of those interesting native
perennials that give native gardens their special charm. It can be massed as a flowering groundcover
or grown in a large container or rock garden as an accent. It’s a good companion
plant for desert species like Baileya, Larrea, Ambrosia, and Penstemon
species. [2] The unique flowers and foliage also combine
well with coastal S. California native shrubs and grasses. We like to place it along walkways and at the
front of flowering beds, where it attracts butterflies and birds. If you’ve been toying with including some
desert natives in your garden, this is a great plant to try.
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| Desert mock verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) - young plant |
For a
gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-glandularia-gooddingii
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
____________
- https://plants.jstor.org/stable/history/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000003077
- http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/glandulariagooddingii.html
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
