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History Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) Richard Hebda INDEX for Native Plants This text was originally published in Coastal Grower (formerly The Island Grower) in Victoria, British Columbia. For subscription information, please call Susanne Steele at the Coastal Grower at 250-478-0825. More and more these day gardeners and landscapers are turning to plants that require little maintenance and will resist drought. Many native species of the drier regions of southern British Columbia fit these characteristics well. Among the shrubs, oceanspray is an excellent choice for the dry back corners of the yard. Oceanspray of the Rose Family (Rosaceae) grows as a tall, many-stemmed shrub from 1.5 to 5 m high. Clumps reach from 2 to nearly 10 m (about 6-33') across, often interwoven with their neighbours. Several stems rise upward from the centre of the clump, but then arch gracefully outward until, in exceptional cases, their tips touch the ground. Where large branches begin to bend, vigorous young shoots arise. These eventually arch over too, replacing the parent which dies out. The bark of young shoots is brown and sometimes slightly angled. Old bark is light grey and nearly smooth. Light green oval leaves about 4-10 cm (1.6-4") long scatter along the upper half of the branches. The lower surface of the leaves is much lighter coloured than the upper surface, giving rise to the species name, discolor, meaning "two-coloured". Small to large teeth line the margin of the leaf. Numerous hairs give the leaves a soft texture. By late summer the leaves turn yellow or reddish, and drop off leaving the shrub nearly naked. Great plumes of creamy white flowers cascade from the tips of the branches in June to July, lasting 2-3 weeks. Each 10-20 cm (4-8") long cluster contains hundreds of tiny whitish blooms. Examine a flower closely and you should find 5 little petals attached to a tiny disc. Inside the petal ring are about 20 creamy stamens and 5 pistils. Great quantities of pollen attract hoards of pollinating insects. The blossoms release an exotic, cream-like scent, almost overpowering within a dense thicket. Once flowers fade, the clusters turn dry and brown. Oceanspray favours sunny to slightly shaded haunts. In B.C. it thrives on shallow, rocky soils with very sharp drainage. Typically you will find it on rocky bluffs, forming thickets, at the edge of woods and within open forests. The British Columbia range includes low to mid elevations along the coast from Bella Coola southward, and about the southern quarter of the Interior. Oceanspray occurs abundantly on southeast Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The North American distribution stretches southward to southern California and eastward to Montana. Oceanspray can form the backbone of native plant thickets in your garden. The plant is easily grown from seeds. Collect the dry flower heads in fall and shake out the brownish seeds onto sandy soil rich in humus, cover thinly, then set out and leave for the winter. In spring, seedlings will appear and should be allowed to grow until fall. Then tease them apart carefully and plant out in large pots for raising, or place out where you want them in your garden. Often there are numerous seedlings beneath established clumps. Apparently you can also propagate oceanspray by layering. The shrubs can be left to grow as they will, but you may prefer to prune them, especially in a small garden where the overhanging branches reach out well over the yard. Well after the arching branches finish blooming (August or so) prune them back to a vigorous vertically growing branch, or a healthy branching point. The erect branch will elongate rapidly and flower the next year, gradually arching over to replace the old branch. By pruning every second year, you keep the centre of the clump growing vigorously and prevent the accumulation of dead wood. Incidentally bushtits love to build their pouch nests in large oceanspray bushes. Known as ironwood to most of the southern Native peoples of British Columbia, oceanspray wood has many uses. Branches and stems were once hardened over a fire and shaped into digging sticks, spear shafts arrows and bows. Other uses included teepee pins, fish clubs, baby cradle hoops, armour, salmon barbecuing sticks and knitting needles. Saanich peoples steeped the dry flower heads in hot water to make medicine against diarrhoea. Holodiscus gets its scientific name from the Greek words holo=whole and diskos=disk in reference to the unlobed disc to which the petals are attached. If you are looking for an easy-care, drought-resistant large native shrub, try oceanspray. For more information on this and other native plant species contact the Botany Unit, or visit the Native Plant Garden at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC
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