Planning A Drought Tolerant Garden

A recent guest to my blog made reference to High Country Gardens, a popular mail-order catalogue in the southwest. I have bought a pre-planned garden myself for our parking strip. I chose xeriscape perennials for this area since the hose barely reaches far enough for me to water all the plants. Once established, these perennials are very drought tolerant. High Country Gardens is a great resource for water-wise plant combinations, garden plans, and helpful gardening tips for every region in the US. I really dig the Cold Hardy Succulent Sampler.

For more Xeriscape design ideas, click here to see more pictures on Flickr.

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Botanical Inspired Wine Glasses

Check out these stemless wine glasses from Peek Keep. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or just hanging out with friends, add this stylish collection to express your inner gardener.

Cheers!

Lawn Be Gone

Have you ever thought about getting rid of your front lawn??? By the way, if you want it green all year long, this will be your yard’s biggest water hog. Not to mention, suck the life out of your soil. I can only dream of renting a sod cutter next spring. But when you have two large dogs, it becomes a necessity when daily jaunts to the dog park are unrealistic, or if you faint at the thought of them running through your prized heirloom tomatoes. Well, before you decide to get rid of the lawn and move your vegetable garden to the front yard, take a look at this incredible website, Edible Estates* by Fritz Haeg. Just so you know, the neighborhood stops, just like those VISA commercials, when they see you designing a vegetable garden in the front yard. Most of the time they are really. . . UGLY. I have only seen one well-designed front yard garden in person. Magazines don’t count. These designers have artfully fused ecology with design. Your neighbors couldn’t possibly snicker behind your back with a garden this beautiful . . . and EDIBLE.*This site can be a little tricky to manuever but worth a few clicks if you are interested. If you are a visual person like me, add this book to your library by clicking the link Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, published by Metropolis Books in Spring 2008 and distributed by D.A.P.

Winter Gardener Withdrawal

Withdrawal . . . a typical symptom us gardeners endure during the winter months. Well, maybe not if you live in the Southwest. In the Northwest, it’s not terribly cold, but I could swim through parts of my garden beds in the backyard. My problems are confounded by months of rain, as well as living on a natural, underground spring. If you are forced to embrace similar boggy situations during the winter months, see my post Boots That Make a Splash. Sometimes blogging about gardening just isn’t enough. Today, I froze my fingers off installing a steel cable trellis for my star jasmine outside the front door. I particularly like the hint of modernism peering through the twisting vines (I will post pictures upon completion).

 

To cure my own winter withdrawals, I start ripping out pictures from my favorite garden magazines, or tab through my favorite books, and start planning what I’ll conquer in the garden come spring. Last year I added a pergola and a garden shed that hangs from the side of my house. This year, I will continue to landscape with plants that are known to be drought resistant, attract beneficial insects, and look great all year long. I feel good about myself striving to be a responsible gardener, but most of all, I hate watering during the summer.

 

My goal is not to preach about water conservation, although I think it is extremely important, but rather offer just one of many ways to create a beautiful, eco-conscious garden. I will, however, sneak in a plug about SOIL PREPARATION. I still pay the price for being a once hasty novice, a garden that is part bog during the winter and concrete during the summer. One of my favorite books that helps me plan a garden for all seasons is, Drought Resistant Planting Through the Year by Beth Chatto. My first attempt at garden design looked pretty good during the spring and summer months, but lacked structure and interest during the winter. This book has a good balance of colorful garden pictures, as well as helpful information to preparing soil, placement, and plant combinations.

 

If too much water during the year leaves you clueless in designing your garden, and a man-made lake to attract wildlife is out of the question, check out Beth Chatto’s Damp Garden: Moisture-loving plants for year-round interest.

 

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*Go to Flickr to see more photos beautiful photos by marc.os