Sep 02 2009
He’s Saving the Planet One Salvia at a Time
When you think the polar ice caps are in the same state as a Scotch on the Rocks left on the counter overnight and you are sure nothing can be done to save Ol’ Mama Earth, that means it’s long past time to check in with John the Baptist. Faithful readers will know John as one of the more colorful workers, artisans and eccentric characters who are helping us with this dream we call Two Terrier Vineyards. (If you haven’t yet met John the Baptist, learn about him here and here.) John, which is his real name, is our trail and brush man, clearing out flammable chaparral and invasive non-native plants, building our trail system and helping us build habitat-restoring features like Lake Charles. In spirit, he’s part Ewell Gibbons, with a good dose of Saint Francis, topped off by a dash of Wavy Gravy. He was given his name by the crew building our barn who said he was always emerging from the forest with leaves and twigs in his hair. We always thought of him as Tom Bombadil, the forest guardian from The Hobbit, but the name John the Baptist is the one that stuck.
Whenever I see him, he takes time out for a nature lesson, and this week, he had a particularly good one. Seems Two Terrier Vineyards may be a special sanctuary for a particular native form of Salvia. Of course, it never would have happened without the intervention of some forest spirits.
In any plantings we’re doing, we’re trying to adhere to a Strictly Natives policy with a side agenda of attracting and supporting native birds and insects. Well, except for our crops, the grapes, the lavender and the olives. But still.
The Salvia John holds above has gone to seed. Here is Hummingbird Sage in its blooming glory, complete with Hummingbird.
Salvia, known to you cooks as sage, is not exactly endangered. There are hundreds and hundreds of species around the world. However, there are some that are native only to a specific area –and it’s those varieties that are particularly attractive to our native fauna. That would be Salvia Spathacea which is very picky about only wanting to grow only along California’s coastal oak scrub lands. While you can find it as far south as San Diego, it’s not that common north of San Bruno Mountain (which is just south of San Francisco). But as Salvia Spathacea is also known as Hummingbird Sage, it was a variety we particularly wanted. And we have a little pocket of oak and scrub land that Hummingbird Sage would love. Not to mention hoards of hungry Hummingbirds.
Here's John the Baptist himself, the Guardian of the Salvia.
Our landscape gardener, Louise Leff, knew just the source for the bestest, most organic, most native Hummingbird Sage. That would be California Flora in Fulton, which just happens to be owned by John’s wife. Turns out the Hummingbird Sage she had had a most interesting pedigree. John had been hired by the environmental planning and contracting firm, Pacific Open Space, to help them add to their native seed bank. John had scoured San Bruno Mountain gathering the seeds of Salvia Spathacea. It was tough work. Little critters love the seeds and John found maybe five or ten seeds for each one acre he canvassed. Out of those seeds, a crop of Hummingbird Sage was grown, some of which Louise ended up buying from California Flora.
Fast forward a season. Our Hummingbird Sage has grown like crazy. So crazy that one of Louise’s helpers cut and thinned the stand at the end of the growing season to encourage new growth in the spring. The waste was thrown down for mulch where John, always one for the main ecological chance, found it. Just from one bunch of cuttings, he gathered a couple hundred Salvia seeds. All of which are going to find their way back to California Flora.
Seems Two Terrier Vineyards is it’s own Stimulus Program for Salvia. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Salvia. Or Salvia Party Central. However you want to look at it, Salvia Spathacea, Two Terrier Vineyards is your kind of place.
John gathered this Salvia seed even as we spoke.
We’re a long way from meeting the incredibly rigorous demands of Biodynamic Certification. The chief demand is the creation of a strict “closed loop” ecological system. Nothing comes in, nothing goes out, everything is used and reused and brought back to the soil. But maybe the balance we’re looking for is a loop that’s a little more open, a little less tightly knotted. And a lot more fun. I like the journey of our Salvia from San Bruno Mountain to a local ecologically sound nursery back to our land. A journey facilitated by a forest spirit in a tie-dyed shirt.
You can’t get more California Natural than that.
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Lisa: You write so beautifully and make such poignant observations…this is lovely! (And does the salvia attract hummingbirds? What kinds?) Seems things are progressing very nicely at TTV…. I guess when you keep your eyes on the details, you still have to keep your eyes on the rest!
I am overwhelmed just reading about all you are doing…You are fortunate to have found John to assist you in your closed loop quest.
Was I the only one who originally thought this post was going to be about saliva??
Love your special hummingbird sage. I dug up “the sage that ate Highland Heights” this summer and replanted it in my new front yard ninety miles to the south and west. It was sold as an annual about eight years ago. This one is just hardy, fragrant, and flavorful.
And no, I didn’t think this post was about spit. Didn’t remember that sage is salvia though. Too many seeds are so unbelievably tiny. Makes you wonder how they survive, but they do.
I have four lavender plants that are spreading beautifully too. Doing my best to put perennials everywhere I can. Not a fusser.
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