Mexican Sage vs. Lupine

BRING ON THE BUTTERFLIES:  LUPINE VS. MEXICAN SAGE


By Cassy Aoyagi:  
What’s 4×4 with beautiful spikey flowers all over? Both Lupine and Mexican sage will answer the riddle, but only Lupine does it with ridiculously little water. While the flowers may look similar enough to you and me, Mission Blue Butterflies seeking a honeymoon location head strait for California native Lupine.

formla2016_2mb_lupineLupine

Mexican Sage and Lupine flowers are similar enough to confuse most garden lovers, but in actuality, the plants are quite different.  While Mexican Safe is subtropical, equally elegant Lupine comes from dryer chaparral and coastal sage regions of California and Oregon. Lupine:

Is the [butterfly] hostess with the mostest. Lupine hosts native Califonria butterflies that reproduce only when living on a few species of Lupine.  It also protects those it hosts. For example, the Mission Blue Butterfly lays its eggs, which become Lupine-eating caterpillars. As a result, the caterpillar and future butterfly alike become unappealing to predators, as their Lupine diet gives them a bitter taste.

Provides year-round delight. Although Lupine has a short but striking bloom season, it does not need to be cut back like Mexican Sage. It’s silvery, unique foliage will add sparkle to the garden throughout the year.

May be elegant or simply cheery. There are multiple species of native Lupine, both annual and perennial. While its imperial purple is most comparable to Mexican sage, there is a perky yellow flowering species as well.

Follows fires. You can always rely on Lupine to follow fire, bringing desecated hillsides back to life.

April is a great time to see beautiful varieties of Lupine as well as the Mission Blue Butterflies it attracts.

mexican-sage
Mexican Sage

Mexican Sage is perrenical in California and produces a desireable essential oil. Pair those qualities with its Lupine-like towers of blooms, and it seems like a winner.

Disappears in the off-season. While perennial, Mexican sage requires severe, ground-level cut backs to produce new growth the following season. While it regenerates, the garden will have a bare spot.

Needs water to bloom. One place where Mexican Sage won’t want a cut-back is in the water. Because it is native to tropical and subtropical regions where humidity is higher and water is more available, it will need supplemental water to bloom.

Sparks no romance. While Mexican Sage is lovely, it is not a suitable habitat for Mission Blue Butterflies to reproduce…that is the crowning glory of its competition, Lupine.

For more guidance on where to plant big dry ones, see our past Wet-to-Dry Exchange articles.

March 2011 Newsletter

FormLA Newsletter

VALUED CUSTOMERS & FRIENDS+

With our blooming demonstration and tour gardens center stage, we love hearing clients and tour attendees singing the praises of vibrantly fragrant blossoms throughout the spring! Like most stars, these beauties have a highly skilled entourage that keeps them looking their best, like the irrigation timers that make sure they get just the right amount of water at just the right time. We owe a very special thanks to one of these unsung heroes. ET Water donated new, highly effective weather-based controllers for the Santa Monica demonstration gardens we maintain. While they may be hard to see, they make what you see that much more lovely! Thank you, ET Water!

Sincerely,
Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi

LATEST NEWS+

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UPCOMING EVENTS+

Theodore Payne Foundation Garden Tour
Municipal Green Building Conference
Pasadena Showcase House
Pacific Palisades Garden Tour
California Native Plant Society Symposium
Save the Dates

WHAT TO EXPECT+

Planting and weeding!

TEAM UPDATE+

Theodore Payne Foundation Gala

UPCOMING EVENTS+

Saturday & Sunday, April 9 – 10:
Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour

Thursday, April 14:
Landscaping to LEED projects, Municipal Green Building Conference

Sunday, April 17:
Pacific Palisades Annual Garden Tour

Sunday, April 17 – May15:
Pasadena Showcase House

Saturday, April 23:
California Native Plant Week Symposium

Save the Dates
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TEAM UPDATE+

Celebrate Theodore Payne Foundation's 50th Anniversary
Cassy Aoyagi, Theodore Payne Foundation Executive Director Lynette Kampe with Los Angles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian celebrating Theodore Payne Foundation’s 50th Anniversary at the Theodore Payne Foundation Gala.

ET Water, City of Santa Monica Demonstration Gardens
FormLA maintenance teams installed new irrigation timers, donated by ET WATER, at City of Santa Monica demonstration gardens.

FormLA Container Garden of Palms
A FormLA Container Garden of Palms decorates the Wagon Wheel School’s Savanah Nights Fundraiser at the Wilshire Country Club.

About FormLA Landscaping+

FormLA® Landscaping designs, builds and maintains custom sustainable landscapes that beautifully complement the distinct and varied architecture of Los Angeles County. See our expanding Portfolio.

CONTACT FORMLA+

Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi, Principals: Cassy@formlainc.com

Mark Britten, Production Manager: Mark@formlainc.com

John Avakian, Bookkeeping: John@formlainc.com

Cara Barnard, Horticultural Care Technician: Cara@formlainc.com

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LATEST NEWS+

Visit a French Chateau in Arroyo Magazine

Visit a French Chateau in Arroyo Magazine Garden Profile: Bettijane Levine, Arroyo Magazine. “[The] white brick mini-villa — with its tall welcoming windows and elegant sheltered door — looks like it might be a centuries-old transplant from some nobleman’s estate in Southern France … the lawn was removed and replaced with a sumptuous stylized array of plantings traversed by meandering, free-form flagstone paths surrounded by gravel.” Read

Preview TPF Garden Tour Homes

Preview TPF Garden Tour HomesGarden Portfolios: The Theodore Payne Foundation Native Garden Tour features three properties designed, built and maintained by FormLA Landscaping. Get a sneak peek of the Markota’s Eagle Rock Tudor, the Rosen’s Brentwood green-build, and the Veloz’ Glendale California Contemporary.

Win Theodore Payne Tour Tickets!

Preview TPF Garden Tour HomesThe first 5 readers to identify the sustainable strategies that keep the Veloz and Rosen spas cleaner, safer and healthier than their traditional counterparts will win tickets to the tour. Win

Bring on the Butterflies with Lupine

Attract Hummingbirds Wet to Dry: What’s 4×4 with beautiful spikey flowers all over? Both Lupine and Mexican sage will answer the riddle, but only Lupine does it with ridiculously little water. While the flowers may look similar enough to you and me, Mission Blue Butterflies seeking a honeymoon location head strait for California native Lupine. More

WHAT TO EXPECT+

FormLA Teams will be: Ensuring client gardens thrive through 9-day water ban in Pasadena imposed as MWD improves infrastructure March 18-27. We will also follow water restriction guidelines issued by the surrounding communities.

Conserving water and soil moisture in outdoor water ban communities and beyond. Here are a few of our strategies:

  • Replenishing mulch to conserve water and increase organic matter
  • Increasing mower heights to reduce evaporation from lawns
  • Changing batteries on irrigation timers
  • Pushing the clocks forward on irrigation and lighting timers
  • Pruning Mediterreneans

Helping you get the most out of Spring:

  • Planning spring vegetable gardens to match your meal interests
  • Identifying and cut flowers and foliage to brighten indoor areas
  • Placing or fixing outdoor lighting to ensure your outdoor space is safe and optimally charming for spring and summer entertaining
info@formlainc.com • PO Box 441 Tujunga, CA 91043
phone 818.353.7030 • 310.979.9002 • fax 818.353.6837 • www.formlainc.com
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Theodore Payne Foundation Golden Anniversary Gala

Theodore Payne Gala

Date:  March 5, 2011

Time:  6:30-10:00 pm

Tickets:  $75 (RSVP by February 22nd)

Location:  Ven de Kamp Hall, Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

Theodore Payne Foundation will celebrate 50 years of helping Californians discover the beauty of our wild flowers and native plants.  Please join us as we honor the legacy of Theodore Payne and unveil our vision for the future.

More Information: Theodore Payne Foundation Event Listing