Giving Native Plants A Second Look

I have become more and more intrigued with gardens designed with native plants. You may be thinking, native plants are messy and boring. The appeal is not necessarily in their showy flowers, although some have very unique flowers and textures, but in their ability to thrive in natural conditions with minimal care. I am not a purist by any means but integrating natives into your mixed borders just makes sense to me.

My goal is to visit at least one local nursery that specializes in native plants every time I travel. Business trips are much more difficult since we hardly see the light of day. On a recent trip to Tucson, Arizona, I visited my first native plant nursery, Civano Nursery.

About Civano Nursery

Civano Nusery is situated at the entrance of the Civano Development, a sustainable housing community on the Southeast side of Tucson. I was in search of a local nursery that specializes in Arizona and Sonoran Desert native plants. This had to be one of the most colorful nurseries I have ever visited. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised since most desert themes are very rich in color.

The staff were super friendly and took the time to educate me on some of the Arizona natives. A few of my favorites were the desert willow, “octopus” agave, and ocotillo. Ocotillo is a very distinctive desert shrub with thorny spikes that rise out of the ground up to 15 feet tall. During the drought season, this shrub looks dead, but once the rain hits, green leaves suddenly appear and bright, red tubular flowers appear in the spring. The nursery used the ocotillo poles as fencing to keep the rabbits out of the garden. >>More Civano Nursery plant pics

Tips For Growing Herbs

Herbs are a great way for beginners to get their hands dirty in the garden. In my opinion, herbs are easy and one of the most useful plants you’ll ever care for. Whether you’re thinking about potting culinary favorites or incorporating ornamental varieties into your landscape, here’s just a few things to consider:

• Exposure - most herbs like to be placed in a sunny part of the yard, or at least 6 hours out of the day. Sun lovers include chives, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary. However, there are those that prefer a little afternoon shade like lemon balm, parsley, rosemary, basil, mint, and mustard to name a few.
• Soil - Compost based products are recommended for landscape and potted herbs. Potted herbs need soils that help retain moisture, and landscaped herbs prefer compost rich, water-draining soil.
• Water - Most herbs become drought tolerant after a year of routine watering. Soak your potted herbs in the morning to help them get through a hot summer day, especially if they’re positioned in the sun.
• Feed - Weekly feedings during the growing season (March through September) helps plants produce leaves and stay healthy after routine cuttings. Any product that boosts leaf production is sufficient.

Native Plants For Your Area

Landscaping with native plants is often referred to as Naturescaping. There are many benefits of using native plants, but one of the biggest in my book, is less maintenance. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time in my garden but I have many other outdoor interests too.

With natives, you don’t have to worry about invasive plants or huge water bills. Translation: less chemicals and more money in your pocket. Many of these plants only need water to get established the first year then become drought tolerant. (note: drought tolerant DOES NOT mean “no water”, they still need an occasional soak).

Sometimes chemical weed control is necessary, but only when all other options have failed. Chemical runoff by rain has detrimental effects on fish habitats. See my Weed or Not To Weed post for more ideas on weed control without chemicals. Naturescaping preserves biodiversity, which is healthy for you and others.

Plant Native is an organization dedicated to moving native plants and naturescaping into mainstream landscaping practices. They are a great one-stop resource for finding native plants by state, region, or local nursery:

• More on Native Plants,
• Community Service in your area
• Find a Local Nursery
• Native Plant Books by area

Planning A Drought Tolerant Garden

Tired of spending your summers watering your garden? If you don’t have the money to install an in-ground sprinkler system, consider choosing xeriscape perennials for your garden. There are so many benefits: drought tolerant, beautiful flowers, save money, easy to maintain, and attracts birds and pollinators. I can’t say enough about High Country Gardens (HCG) for ideas, planning, and garden know-how. HCG’s exclusive Xeriscape Flower Fan is a great tool to see perennial combinations by height, color, blooming season, soil preference, and water needs. Wherever you are Julie Fischer, “THANK YOU!

If you’re starting from scratch, HCG has a great article to help you analyze the various aspects of your yard like, weather, wind patterns, sun patterns, and SOIL. Soil is a big, I mean huge, element that most beginners overlook. I admit, I was gung-ho at first and I’m still paying the price for planting in poor soil. Many plant problems can be eliminated by putting plants in soil they like. Also, many synthetic pesticides and fertilizers won’t have to be used which helps save beneficial insects, the environment, and your money. For tips on making your own soil amendment, see Why Make Compost

I highly recommend beginners start by choosing plants that are suitable to your area’s USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone. There’s a reason why plants from these zones are successful, so trust the map. Click here for how to use the map and find plants that are appropriate for your area.

Bee Thoughtful

Where have all the bees gone? Many farmers have managed regional problems for years, but now we are faced with bees disappearing in droves across the nation. The benefits of bees go way beyond the honey they produce. In the agriculture world, bees play an invaluable role in pollinating many of the fruits and vegetables we eat every day.

In a New York Times article, Cornell University estimated that bees pollinate up to $14 billion worth of seeds a year. According to Entrepreneur.com, honey bees are responsible for pollinating over 90 varieties of fruits and vegetables worldwide, especially blueberries and apples. Just think about how many bites of food we eat every day that depend on the pollination of bees.

There are many different theories as to why the bees are disappearing at such alarming rates, ranging from synthetic pesticides, poor nutrition, cold weather, mite infestations, diseases, or just pure exhaustion. Whether you are an avid gardener or just a consumer who likes to eat, we can all do our part to support local bee colonies. Here is some food for thought:

• Eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides, especially when bees and other pollinators are hard at work. The residue left on plants, even when dry, can harm beneficial insects. Many pest and disease problems can be eliminated by improving soil quality and water practices. Prevention is the key to achieving a natural garden!

• Choose spring and summer plants that pollinators love. Many of these plants are drought tolerant once established through regular watering during the first season. Some of my favorites include:

  • Achillea (common yarrow)
  • Lavender
  • Nepeta (catmint)
  • Penstemon
  • Salvia (sage)
  • Echinacea (coneflower)

  For a complete plant list, click Urban Bee Project. Please consult a local nursery to be sure the plants are not considered invasive in your area. Choosing native plants is a sure way to have a successful, low-maintenance, yet beautiful garden.

Bee Thankful!

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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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