 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): Mother Nature's Montrose Garden |
There’s
nothing like a mass of yellow blossoms to brighten a garden. Our native Sulphur
Buckwheat provides a welcome yellow-and-rust accent from May through the
summer. That’s why it’s one of the perennial favorites in Mother Nature’s
Montrose Garden. The scientific name is pronounced air-ee-OG-oh-num um-bell-LAY-tum.
The
Sulphur Buckwheat is one of about forty Colorado native buckwheats, with
three-quarters of them native to the drier Western Slope. Only one-quarter of
the Colorado buckwheats are annuals; the majority are either perennials, sub-shrubs
or shrubs. Many make attractive
additions to the home garden – if you can find them!
Eriogonum
umbellatum is native to Western North America from British Columbia
to California on the west coast, and east to Wyoming, Western Colorado and New Mexico.
It typically grows in dry, open, often rocky places from sea level to alpine
(to 13,000 ft). On the Western Slope, the several variants can be seen in
sagebrush flats, on dry slopes, in mountain meadows and in pinyon-juniper, conifer
and sub-alpine forests from about 5000 to 13,000 ft [1500-4000 m.] elevation.
[1]
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): California variety |
The
wide elevation range makes this plant suitable for many gardens in the Western
U.S. Local native plant nurseries often sell
local varieties, which often are best suited for regional conditions. Many native buckwheats, including Eriogonum umbellatum, are also drought tolerant - a welcome
bonus, as we transition to more water-wise gardens.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): growth habit |
Sulphur Buckwheat is quite variable across its
range and varieties. It grows as a perennial or sub-shrub, with some variants less
than 6 inches tall while others reach up to 3 ft. Plants have a mounded or mat-like growth habit
(above). We grow the ‘Kannah Creek’ type (Eriogonum
umbellatum v. aureum ‘Kannah
Creek’), a natural cultivar from the near us on the Western Slope. It reaches 12-15" tall by 15-24"
wide, with plants increasing in width with age. This cultivar is available from several on-line
vendors, including High Country Gardens and Annie’s Annuals.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): foliage in basal rosette |
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): leaf |
The leaves of Sulphur Buckwheat grow in a loose
basal rosette. The leaves are simple, oblong-ovate
or oblanceolate to elliptic to oval and may be hairy. The leaf margins are
entire and may be wavy in some variants. Leaf color is medium green to
gray-green (especially when dry). In colder climates, the leaves turn a rich
red-brown with the frosts (below). Plants remain dormant during cold
winters. The species itself is quite
cold tolerant and Colorado varieties can be grown in USDA Zones 4-8.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): winter color |
Growth rate for Eriogonum umbellatum is slow to moderate, with plants expanding to their
mature size over several years (below). Plants have a long taproot, which makes
them both drought tolerant and difficult to move when mature. Plants can live to 20 years (perhaps slightly
more) in the garden setting.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): young plant |
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): maturing plant |
The flowers of Sulphur Buckwheat are spectacular. The tiny flowers grow in umbels or compound
umbels, on flowering stalks above the leaves (below). The flowers are small,
sulphur-yellow when fresh, fading to rust orange after pollination (below). The
flowers are perfect (both male and female parts in each flower) and the anthers
(male, pollen-producing part) extend beyond the petals (this is common in the
buckwheats).
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): flower color |
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): close-up of flowers |
The flowers are insect-pollinated, mostly by
smaller native bees and flower flies in our garden. But many other insects may visit this great
habitat plant (below). The species is host (caterpillar) plant for the Acmon
Blue (Icaricia acmon), Melissa Blue (Plebejus melissa), Blue
Copper (Lycaena heteronea), Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia
mormo), Square-spotted Blue (Euphilotes battoides), Dotted
Blue (Euphilotes enoptes), and Lupine Blue (Icaricia
lupini) butterflies. [2] Birds eat the seeds, so resist the temptation to
deadhead the flowering stalks. They provide
an attractive dark brown element to the summer/fall garden as well as providing
bird habitat.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): small native bee |
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): insect habitat |
Sulphur
Buckwheat is easy to grow if you choose a variety native to your area and
choose a suitable place in your garden. The best strategy is to try to
mimic the growing conditions for your local
variety as much as possible. For example, ‘Kannath Creek’ grows in hot, sunny
and rocky conditions. We’ve tried to provide those in Mother Nature’s Montrose
Garden by planting our plants in the hot, rocky areas around our pond.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): warm, sunny placement |
Full
sun to part-shade and well-drained soils are a must. Buckwheat plants like a
lean soil, so no fertilizer needed (except if grown in a container; even then,
a light yearly dose is all). Sulphur Buckwheat tolerates alkali soils (to pH
9.0) and saline soils, both of which are common in some parts of the West.
Don’t
over-water this water-efficient plant. Let
the soil dry out between waterings. And don’t plant in an area that gets boggy
in the spring. If your conditions are not
suitable, you can even grow Sulphur Buckwheat in a container. Just give it plenty
of growing room for its taproot.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): does well in deep containers |
Given
the right conditions, Eriogonum
umbellatum is easy to grow. No
pruning or other fussing required - just let the plant do its thing. And that’s just one reason to include this
plant in your garden.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): in Western Colorado garden |
Then there’s the distinctive flower hue that adds a
pop of color to any spring-summer garden. If you like wildlife, this is a great
habitat plant for many insects, including the native spring pollinators. The neat growth habit makes it a nice accent
plant. We particularly like the
low-growing varieties for bordering paths in a water-wise garden. Some
gardeners use the shorter varieties as a water-wise ground cover. It’s a perfect accent in a rock garden. And an excellent choice for those dry,
hard-to-water areas of the garden.
 |
| Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): looks nice with other native flowers and grasses |
So, look around your garden and see if you have the right spot for some Sulphur Buckwheat. It adds a sense of place to any Western garden. You won’t regret selecting this well-behaved and lovely plant.
 |
| Sagebrush Checkerspot on Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum): |
_______________
- Ackerfield, Jennifer: Flora of Colorado. Brit Press, 2015
- Sulphur
Buckwheat, Eriogonum umbellatum (calscape.org)
For a
gardening information sheet see: Gardening
Sheet - Eriogonum umbellatum.pdf (slideshare.net)
For more
pictures of this plant see:
For plant
information sheets on other Western 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: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment