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Not long ago, I wrote about planting bromeliads in the garden. In response, I received an email from Jerry Robinson, one of the proprietors of Rainforest Flora ( rain-forest-flora.com ), whose retail nursery is located in Torrance. I visited the nursery eight years ago and would place it high on the bucket list of Southern California gardeners and plant lovers. 

Rainforest Flora’s claim to fame is its growth and distribution of Tillandsias, a category of bromeliad familiarly known as air plants due to their epiphytic or tree-dwelling habitat. Founded in 1974, Rainforest Flora was North America’s first Tillandsia nursery and today is the largest such nursery on this continent. The company’s growing grounds are located in North San Diego County and encompass 300,00 square feet or seven acres, where millions of Tillandsias are grown from seed.

Air plants Tillandsias mounted on wood. (Courtesy of Jerry Robinson)

Tillandsias. (Courtesy of Jerry Robinson)

Tillandsias. (Courtesy of Jerry Robinson)

Pentsemon or beardtongue. (Photo by Joshua Siskin)

“I always emphasize when giving talks about bromeliads in the landscape,” Robinson wrote, “to plant the pot rather than to prepare an entire bed with a bromeliad soil mix. This also confines the roots, which bromeliads prefer and when it is time to remove pups or trim dead leaves, you can lift the pot without disturbing the roots.  Recently, I have begun to use ceramic pots. I partially bury them and then surround them with rocks.  I always put gravel or small rocks between the bottom of the pot and the garden soil so the bromeliad potting medium can drain. 

“Another point I always make is that though some bromeliads can tolerate direct sun (in the coastal zones), they always prefer shade from hot midday sun. A few hours of direct morning sun or eastern exposure will intensify the colors of their leaves. I use palms, cycads, trumpet trees (Tabebuia sp.) and tapioca trees (Manihot sp.) for my shade. When planning a garden using bromeliads or other tropicals, always add your shade components first. These can be trees, shade cloth and lath structures or other structures such as pergolas and gazebos. On the flip side, if bromeliads receive too little light, they will lose their color and will display attenuated or ‘leggy’ growth.

“Another concern by those who grow bromeliads in the ground is how to water them. I recommend a thorough watering once a week, flushing any stagnant water out of the cups at the center of the leaves – which eliminates mosquitoes laying eggs there — while simultaneously drenching the soil. The soil should go almost dry before watering again. During a heatwave, bromeliads should be watered more frequently. I do at times kill bromeliads from watering too little, watering too much, or giving them too much sun; they also sometimes die for no apparent reason.

“I use the epiphytic Tillandsias to add vertical accents to my landscape. I hang them in trees and from trellises, glue them onto rocks and attach them to driftwood and cholla cactus skeletons to create natural works of art. There are hundreds of Tillandsia species and hybrids; collecting them can become an addiction.”

I should add here a word about Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). I first encountered it in New Orleans, hanging down from magnolia and oak tree branches. When you first see it, you might think Spanish moss is some sort of parasitic plant, perhaps a dodder of some sort, or you might even wonder if it is a stringy, decorative material used for ornamental purposes. Yet it is a full-fledged plant and, given an occasional water spray and protection from the sun, will grow in your garden too.

Last month, I asked readers to share their successes growing vegetables in containers. Yvonne Savio, who gardens in Pasadena, has a website at gardeninginla.net with voluminous information on container growing. As for frequency of watering containers in general, she recommends doing so when the soil is dry at a two-inch depth; moisture at that depth is easily measured by sticking your finger into the soil. She also advises us to water slowly since a strong stream of water will not completely soak the soil even as water overflows the pot. As for crops that are most sensible to grow in containers, Savio touts “high-yielding vegetables – beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, lettuces, peppers, radishes, squashes, tomatoes.” Container depth depends on the particular crops you wish to grow.  Root crops (beets, carrots, radishes) and lettuces will do fine in pots 12 inches deep; beans, broccoli, peppers, and squash will do better in pots 18 inches deep; tomatoes will require pots 24 inches deep.

Ron Veelik wrote to inquire about books on small-scale farming and drought-tolerant plants recommended for the ornamental garden. “On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm” tells the story of Michael Abelman’s management of a small farm in Goleta (near Santa Barbara). As for plants recommended for drought-stressed gardens, “Plants for Dry Climates” by Duffield and Jones is a classic volume on the subject. Unique to plant books, this one does not only sing the praises of the plants that are profiled, but informs us of the possible pitfalls involved in growing each of them.

Ann Summers emailed as follows: “In the almost ten years we volunteers have been adding native plants to the Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea, we have seen a great surge in the number and diversity of creatures living here. This includes insects as well as birds, reptiles, and animals large and small. Visitors comment on how the park helps them connect with nature. Even in the drought, the native plants continue to contribute to the beauty of our local habitat.” 

A reader who seeded miniclover to fill in dead lawn areas watered with sprinklers three times a week (eight minutes per watering) and the seeds did not germinate. Early spring and fall are the best times to sprout seeds due to cooler temperatures, shorter days, or both. While it is possible to germinate seeds in hot weather, you will probably need to water them daily, or even twice daily, to assure germination. A thin layer of compost over the seeds will act as a blotter, holding in moisture for the seeds’ benefit.

California native plant of the week:

Penstemon (PEN-ste-mon or pen-STEE-mon), whose common name is beardtongue, is among the sturdiest standbys of the California native flower garden. Penstemon flowers are displayed in various violets, purples, reds, and pinks, but orange-red and yellow colors are also occasionally seen. Relatives of snapdragons, penstemon’s trumpet flowers call out harmoniously with the sound of friendship and, in the manner of snapdragons, are fitting candidates for vase arrangements. Where the soil is right, their seeds will self-sow so that you will have a perpetuating crop of penstemons from year to year. Although perennial, penstemons seldom live longer than three or four years. Rich soil and excessive pampering are their downfall. Attractive to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, they enjoy the companionship of native Salvia (sage), Artemisia, buckwheat (Eriogonum) and manzanita (Arctostaphylos) species. Grow penstemons in full sun to light shade.

Please send questions, comments, and photos to joshua@perfectplants.com

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