Ruth’s tips: Sago palm; summer-flowering native plants

Click photo to enlarge

Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers.

Q We read the column about the Chilean Wine Palm, and this was perfect timing, because we have a Sago Palm that has two growths emerging from it. The photo shows only the growth on the side; the other is in the middle of the tree. We would appreciate whatever you can tell us about all this.

A The Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta, is not really a palm at all, but a cycad. Cycads are cone-bearing plants, not flowering plants like palms, and the yellow growth in the photo is a cone that will eventually wither. Then new flushes of leaves will continue to emerge from time to time as the head continues to grow.

Cycads have separate male and female plants, and the cone on your plant indicates it is a male; females have a feathery reproductive structure, which yields red seeds when pollinated.

The Sago Palm is native to southern Japan; it is one of the most cold-hardy of all the cycads and is able to withstand temperatures of less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. In time, it can grow to be 10 feet tall, with a clump of trunks. If new trunks forming at the sides result in a plant that is too large for the space, it is possible to cut out some of the trunks.

Though not the thirstiest of plants, Sago Palms are not arid-adapted, and they appreciate

regular watering.

Q In our backyard, we have a garden of California native plants. There are lots of flowers in the spring, but by late summer, there is not much going on. Do you have any suggestions for native plants that could give us color at this time of year?

A In spring, with both warm temperatures and the moisture provided by the winter rainy season, plenty of native plants put on a floral show. Later in the summer, there are fewer colorful choices. At the Ruth Bancroft Garden, here are some of our favorites for summer color:

Epilobium canum (often sold under the synonym of Zauschneria californica): This gray-green ground-cover, known as California Fuchsia, has bright scarlet to orange tubular flowers in late summer to fall.

Salvia clevelandii, or California Blue Sage: This fragrant shrub with blue-purple flowers can bloom all summer if given a little supplementary water.

Mimulus aurantiacus and Mimulus cardinalis: The native Monkey Flowers are summer-bloomers. As with the Salvia, a little extra water can keep the flowers coming until fall.

Eriogonum fasciculatum (California Buckwheat) and Eriogonum giganteum (St. Catherine’s Lace): These two white-flowering Buckwheats bloom later than most of the others. E. fasciculatum is a small shrub with green leaves, while St. Catherine’s Lace grows to about 5 feet and has white-felted leaves.

Dendromecon harfordii (the Island Bush Poppy): This large shrub has blue-green leaves and bright yellow flowers. The heaviest bloom is in spring, but some shrubs flower almost year-round.

If you have a question for the Ruth Bancroft Garden, email info@ruthbancroftgarden.org. For tour and event information, go to www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.