My Ribes is dead so I pulled it out! This is the time of year people
think they killed their various summer dormant natives. Don't
pull it up yet! There may be hope. Many chaparral species are
shutting down right now. Their leaves start to shrivel and turn
brown. This a normal part of their life cycle. You can't water them
out of it. In mild coastal areas the plants may shut down for just a
short period of time or not at all. But in hot interior climates
forget it. No mater how much you water them they are going to sleep.
And if you water them to much they are very likely to really die.
This is the time of year, if you plants are established, to stop
deep watering and move over to "beer
watering". The chaparral does not get heavy precipitation in
the summer, condensation, fog drip, yes, an inch of rain at 1pm when
it is 101deg NO! So don't rip out those Ribes
and Keckiella.
Have a beer and let nature take its course.
Keckiella antirrhinoides, Yellow Bush Snapdragon, and Ribes aureum gracillimum, Golden currant, during summer dormancy. These plant are both at least 15yrs old.
Keckiella cordifolia, Heart-leafed Penstemon, climbing Penstemon going summer dormant. In a few weeks this will be completely devoid of leaves.
Ribes indecorum, chaparral currant goes summer dormant.
Ribes speciosum, Fuchsia-Flowering Gooseberry, summer dormant. Ribes goes deciduous around late July or August. This plant is 25 years old and drops all its leaves every summer.
