Action in Sacramento- Good news for Californians

There's more good news from the business/political world on the green front:

"Newly constructed hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes in California will be some of the greenest in the world, after a state commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the most stringent, environmentally friendly building code standards of any state in the nation. The new code, dubbed Calgreen, will take effect next January and requires builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings and, in nonresidential buildings, install separate water meters for different uses. It mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently. And it will allow local jurisdictions, such as San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose........... "This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle and was written by Marisa Lagos   mlagos@sfchronicle.com.

That's great. What is still needed is more provision for solar panels and green roofs.Californians could insist all new building contain one or the other.

The Ford Plant in Dearborn,MI
These men are installing a Green Roof at the Ford Motor Co.( the photo was taken by J. Kyle Keener and ran in the Detroit Free Press.) This is Very Good News. Green roofs have been used all over Northern Europe for decades with Germany taking the lead, but now are just beginning to be favored in the U.S. by the corporate world.  Green roofs improve the famous bottom line .No,we are not talking about how well you will look in your new jeans but something closer to the corporate heart---profit.Suddenly sedums are IN. Not to mention sempervivums.

Semperviums are alpine plants, sedums come from all over. Sedum are also called "stonecrop". They work better on roofs than grass since their succulent leaves store water.They are also quite beautiful.You can see lots of them on this site: www.sempergreen.com .

More small agaves: Dwarf Butterfy and KichioKan marginata

Of all the small agaves, this one is the most enchanting. Love at first sight. Look at those leaves! Mme.  Butterfly seems ready to take off---full of spirit. Agaves can be a little intimidating--more than a little if we're talking about the big ones like a. americana. But agave isthmensis---Mme Butterfly-- just wants to be admired. Her botanical name, isthmensis means she comes from an isthmus probably somewhere in Mexico. She's occupying a gallon pot and won't need anything larger. If you want to try growing your own, follow the link for a seed source. This one was grown by Native Sons and photographed at Terra Sol Nursery (http://www.terrasolgardencenter.com/)                                                                         

Here is another endearing agave with her circle of offshoots peering out:  Kichio Kan marginata. She is Mrs. 12 x 12. --grows one foot high and one foot wide. Marginata describes her stripes. She's called "Lucky Crown.". Her spines come in yellow, change to orange, then to red and she looks her best in part sun.. What's the difference between Kichio Kan marginata and plain Kichio Kan? Apparently there is one having to do with the stripes. Hard for an amateur to see.

The  really big  striped one that's all over in So Cal  and grows easily to 6 feet by 6 feet is her cousin Agave americana marginata.. Though handsome indeed the Big Guy is not for a small  pot, as the leaves alone can grow to be eleven inches across. There's one down the street that's planning to take over  the neighborhood. .                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Agave Blue Glow

See also her book  Succulent Container Gardens.

Agaves, being desert plants, (we said this before) can stand lower temperatures.. All of them are good bets for inland gardens and points East, as well as the Central Coast.

This one is another mini aloe--- Fatal Attraction (*Native Sons)
4" pot, grows about the same dimensions as Kisso Kan. Fatal Attraction is dressed for the Red  Carpet.

                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                               

(• Native Sons is a wholesale supplier than serves many Cal ifornia nurseries listed on their site. Their catalog alone is an education in low water plants.)

"BOUTIQUE" ?? AGAVES

This is Agave “Kissho Kan” grows 12-18” high and wide, originates in Mexico, is hardy to 0 degrees. . You can see how small it is compared to the plant label. That’s a 4” pot. (Native Sons* grows it.)

“Boutique” agaves (is this LALA land, or what?) is a phrase from from an L.A. Times article by Debra Lee Baldwin (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/01/boutique-agaves-small-agaves-potted-agaves.html).

 She’s got a new book coming out this month on container gardening : Succulent Container Gardens. She’s my Muse, can’t wait to read it. Meanwhile, if you go to the LA Times article there are pictures of more classy small agaves including one that’s really spectacular, Blue Glow. (Native Sons)

Mamaillaria longiflora, a Cautionary Tale

Complete Book of Cacti & SucculentsThis photo is from Terry Hewitt's indispensable book, and was taken by Peter Anderson.
Mammillaria are not plants for landscaping around here, unless you live on the side of an arid cliff where it doesn't rain in the winter. Hewitt: "the plant needs to be dry when dormant in winter; it rots if over watered." Yep.
.
The longifolia which had done well ---filled up its 2" pot--- lived under an overhang where it didn't get rained on and was generally flourishing.Until, a victim of some demented Mary Poppins,it was seized, repotted,and put it where it got watered in winter. Total disaster--it rotted from the root.

Cactus have such strong personalities, like cats,  that to lose one is not insignificant. And to lose one out of  of careless ignorance is just plain tacky. Feeling awful, went to Home Depot to replace poor longiflora.

No mammillaria longiflora to be found. (longiflora refers to the striped pink and white flower; mammillaria means nipple. As a group the mammillarias are sometimes referred to as Nipple Plants.) What's being referred to is the cone shaped nodule that holds the spines.

You can see the cones more clearly in this mammillaria  pringlei especially the right hand one.(The m. longiflora  substitute  was this group of three pringleii.)

Many mammillaria come from Central Mexico where it rains a lot from May to September Mammillaria can't handle water during those months----however, they need really sharp drainage Put some stones in the pot. Many are cliff dwellers. Save a life--move your mammillarias under shelter so they'll be protected from rain and cold.

Here's another Central Mexican native, a "Golden Barrel" that needs the same care. It's an Echinocactus -"hedgehog like". Round and prickly? This one is Echinocactus grusonii. It will get scarred if it gets cold, nor does it like winter water.A wet hedgehog is not a happy hedgehog.

Bon Appetit