Seasonal changes are one reason so many of us enjoy living in this area. Year-round interest in the landscape lies in planting a balanced mix of well-suited trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. An over reliance on any one feature can leave the gardens looking dull through much of the year. Designs that include a diversity of plantings are aesthetically pleasing, provide four season interest, and are easier to maintain. Plant communities in the home landscape provide food and shelter for migrating songbirds, attract (and keep) beneficial insects, and allow us to enjoy spending time outdoors. Gardeners now realize the harmful affects of broad spectrum pesticides on beneficials and have moved away from the use of toxic chemicals in the landscape.
Plantings have shifted from foundation to curb.
Though most of us like to be out in the gardens, gardens are often viewed from indoors, especially through the winter months. Looking out into the garden allows us to bring nature into our home; think of it as entering a room, visually. Looking out also inspires us to be out in the gardens when the weather is nice. As I plan a garden, my first thought is to establish the borders as seen from inside my home. Stakes are driven where I am thinking about planting any trees or large shrubs, then I head inside to see how it looks. I also do this standing in an adjoining area of the yard to make sure I'm not obstructing a pleasant view from the deck or anywhere else that views could be blocked or negatively affected by a large planting. By considering not just a single planting, but its relationship to plants around it, the surrounding area, and seeing the garden as a whole rather than individual plants randomly planted throughout the landscape, I can enjoy the gardens from more than one vantage point.
GARDENING BY DESIGN
The goals of a landscape design vary with the individual homeowner. The design may be intended to soften or reduce the intrusion of nearby hardscapes (roadways, neighboring building, parking area, etc.), accentuate a vista, or simply provide an extension of indoor living spaces. For me, it is the influence of all three. Since my husband and I do the physical labor ourselves, work on a limited time and financial budget, and because our home sits on an acre lot, we decided that working on the landscape in stages is the most practical way to develop our property. It is also the best way for us to thoughtfully plan out how each new garden will blend with existing gardens, providing continuity in the overall landscape.
Slopes are natural drainways and whether created by natural or man-made forces, a practical design can use these features to give the landscape added personality and interest by providing a built-in three dimentional view of the garden. Changes in contour also provide transition points, both physically and visually, to and from other developed areas. Seriously sloped areas can include landings and switchbacks with seating or interesting plantings on leveled areas. Don't confuse a slope with a drop-off; tiered gardens turn an otherwise unusable area into an interesting design feature. Gravity pulls water from top to bottom so we plant xeric plants towards the top and work down to thirstier plants at the bottom.
Photos taken during the Elko Garden Club '09 Tour
Photos taken during a Perennial Plant Association Tour in SLC,UT
The path least traveled may be more interesting, but when you just want to get from here to there, the old adage that people choose the path of least resistance applies to the efficient landscape design. Pathways need to be wide enough to accommodate two people side-by-side or at least one comfortably. The basic difference between a pathway and a walkway is that walkways are more widely used, but even a pathway should include surfaces that allow for ease of movement without fear of tripping.
On the design, features should be in scale to the lot size. For example, a 1,000 square foot garden area would be in scale on an acre lot and include a mix of large trees, shrubs, drifts of perennials, and colorful annuals in large containers. For practical reasons, large plantings are atleast 30 feet from the house.
Photos taken during the Spring Creek Garden Club '04 Tour
In town, such sized gardens with massive plantings would look out of scale. On smaller lots, gardeners are taking out oversized plantings and large sweeps of turf and replacing them with designs that include colorful perennials combined with small-medium sized shrubs to make an artistic use of space and provide a break from an over reliance on one-dimentional turf throughout a landscape. Traditional foundation plantings of Junipers are on their way out to make room for hummingbird gardens and an overall design that is more colorful and interesting.
Photos taken during the Elko Garden Club '09 Tour
SITE DEVELOPMENT
Let the site determine the plants you choose. This applies to trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals and includes available light, water, and soil quality. Our Availability List Pages can provide the information you will need when choosing plants for your site. Prior to stopping out, check the area for available light and perform simple, at home, soil tests to determine soil conditions. Many plants die due to either too much or too little water. Knowing the soil's ability to hold needed water and drain any excess is important information when deciding how often and how much to water. Trees are more susceptible to damage resulting from poor drainage, but all plants benefit when gardeners take the initiative to understand and improve the soil's structure and tilth.
I am usually skeptical of catalogs that describe a plant that "does well in poor soil", it seems like an oxymoron to me. Although, it is true that some plants, like xeric plants, do better in lean/sandy soil rather than rich in organic matter soils. We have worked to improve our soils by topdressing with organic matter because we feel it benefits a diverse range of plant types and the beneficial organisms that live in those soils. Soils fare better in a plant community where the relationship between the trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals growing in an area together impact each other and create a bio-diverse environment. The opposite would be a monoculture, where a single planting dominates the growing area. This lack of diversity creates a range of problems not found when diversity exists. Biodiversity provides food and healthy conditions for a broader range of beneficial insects to thrive thereby reducing the need for chemical control/pesticides.
Once you've chosen a site for planting a large tree, consider doing a simple perk test to check for drainage.
Perk Test: Dig a hole and fill it with water, go back a couple hours later and fill the hole again; there's a difference between absorption and drainage. Let sit for four-six hours, after that time, if the hole has standing water in it, that hole has poor drainage. Site drainage can vary within close range, sometimes within 10 feet, so don't get discouraged with that first test. For trees, we recommend digging the hole as deep as the soil level in the container and twice the width. For shrubs, dig the hole as deep as the top of the container and twice the width. That way the top couple of inches of the shrub's roots will be covered to prevent drying. At the time of planting, we do not amend individual holes. By backfilling with native soil the roots are less likely to interface as the roots grow into the adjoining soil. I found this out working in a public garden years ago. We needed to remove an evergreen that just never seemed to grow. Removing the plant didn't require any special tools, I just pulled it out at the base. The root ball never expanded into the adjoining soil, it just stayed a tight ball in the amended hole. Nor do we stake our trees. Native soil in this area tends to be heavy, so trees backfilled with native soil are more likely to grow straight, rather than slanted (despite strong winds that move through the area) because they're not shifting in the hole.
ADDING AMENDMENTS TO THE SOIL
Amendment is a broad term and can include organic matter such as composted manures, wood mulch, peat moss, kitchen compost, etc. These organic amendments will break down over time and need to be replaced. I think of it as feeding the soil rather than feeding the plants. Typically my landscape includes clay in the low areas, sandy loam in the higher areas, and topsoil where the soil has been left undisturbed or was piled when we had excavation work done before building. We did not build or put driveways on topsoil. Avoid disturbing an area until you are ready to begin working/planting it. Once the ground is disturbed, it becomes a natural site for dormant weed seeds to develop.
One frequently asked question is whether to amend the planting hole or the whole bed. My quick answer is, the whole bed. By improving/amending the soil of the entire bed, the plantings are better able to develop a vigorous root system. This applies to beds, borders, hedges, vegetable gardens, and turf areas. When you are ready to amend the soil, it is important that you work when the soil is neither too wet nor too dry. Clay soils compact easily, and working the ground when the soil is too wet will cause serious, long-term damage. Likewise, working dry ground (hurts my back just thinking about it) is simply too difficult to till or spade by hand. We till the top six inches of the entire garden area, add amendments, then bring those tines up and till the amendments into the top four inches. When bringing in topsoil for raised beds, we recommend gardeners level and water the new bed twice over 10-14 days so the new soil has a chance to settle before planting. We have had to bring in additional topsoil to bring the level up to where we want it. Once the desired level has been attained, it is certainly easier to incorporate amendments prior to planting and the additional effort will pay off in the long run.
The amount of conditioning you do to your soil is clearly tied to the expectations of the area. Most gardeners appreciate the importance of topsoil but have little understanding of the need to continuously add soil amendments. Plantings take from, not add to, soil quality and unless replaced, nutrients are quickly exhausted. I enjoy gardening and am willing to topdress with organic amendments and slow-release fertilizers every fall to ensure quality growth next spring and summer.
Characteristics of clay soil:
Heavy
Holds water
Poor drainage
Contracts (cracks) when dry
Compacts when wet
Simple tests you can perform to check on the condition of the soil when considering an area for new development, or to troubleshoot for problems in an existing garden:
1. Half-fill a clear, quart jar with soil then fill to the top with water, thoroughly shake then let sit overnight. Clay sinks and represents the bottom layer of the mix; loam is lighter and will represent the top layer of the mix. The water can be used to perform a simple pH and fertility test using an at home test kit.
2. While the soil is evenly moist, squeeze a clump in your hand, if it breaks up easily, great, if it forms a solid clod, you have clay.
Amendments for soil fertility are simply called fertilizers and include the major elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These elements are represented by three hyphenated numbers and are usually combined with trace (minor) elements and are essential to healthy plants. I apply a slow-release 14-14-14 fertilizer with trace elements along with granular iron in the fall after the perennials have been cutback. I also apply fertilizer in any newly planted gardens developed through the summer months. Application rate is 1 pound per 100 sq. ft. of garden area. I use a hand held spreader and apply to all plantings including trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Slow-release fertilizer is temperature activated and the fall application ensures the nutrients will be available for the plants next spring as temperatures rise.
I also apply a water-soluble fertilizer about mid-August. I use a 20-20-20 solution and apply with a hose end sprayer. This gives my perennials and annuals a quick boost for mid-summer color. Without the use of a slow-release fertilizer, I would have to make several applications of water-soluble fertilizer throughout the growing season.
Soil amendment checklist:
Determine existing soil conditions
Replenish organic matter every year
Fertilize on a regular schedule
MAINTAINING THE LANDSCAPE
Nobody comes to the nursery looking for plants that are difficult to maintain. There are seven
Xeriscape
principles that make a low-maintenance, water-wise landscape attractive and attainable:
Thoughtful planning for beauty and water conservation
Improving/Amending the soil if needed
Limiting turf areas
Efficient irrigation; no more "set it, forget it"
Mulching with organic products
Select appropriate plants and group according to water needs
Maintenance; proper weeding, pruning, and fertilizing
Lawn areas continue to be an important feature of the landscape. But the once traditional large sweeps of lawn are no longer valued since they require a disproportionate amount of time and water; two increasingly valuable resources. To obtain water rights, we were required to install a water meter at the main source in 1991. In 2001, we had a sprinkler system installed for the lawn areas out back. Our water use for the lawn area was cut by one-half after the system was installed. There was also a marked decrease in the amount of chemicals and time needed to maintain the lawn; it has never looked better, and I'm using half the time and water. Through July of 2008, we used 24,821 gallons of water to irrigate a fully developed acre lot with 5,000 sq. ft. of lawn, maintain the greenhouse and nursery areas, and for use in the home. That number increased in July of 2009, to 24,846 and would be unattainable without the use of water-wise gardening. The clock is adjusted several times through the growing season. For the most part, the lawn is watered once a week through spring and fall and every three days through the heat of summer. The system is set to run with two consecutive start times, allowing two twenty-minute cycles. The system runs at night during the summer and in the morning through spring and fall. If your lawn is not on a system, consider using a timer at the faucet. They are easy to program and the water savings is worth taking the time to set the program. Throughout the landscape, I feel a thorough watering is better than a light, frequent watering to establish a deep root system needed for our climate.
Lawn aeration is another important maintenance chore. We schedule ours in the fall, after the last mowing for the season, and follow up with an application of lawn fertilizer and Ironite® to enhance spring growth.
These are some of my favorites books that continue to 'Inform and Inspire' me through the winter months:
Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping by Rita Buchanan. This is a great book. The pictures and text are so well done with easy and practical advice on adding new gardens and hardscapes along with "makeovers" for problem solving.
Backyard Design, Making the Most of the Space Around Your House by Jean Spiro Breskend. I leave this book outside through the summmer and look at it whenever I have a chance to sit and relax under the gazebo. The pictures give me ideas on how to balance time:energy:space:design in my own backyard.
I also recommend: Taylor's 50 Best Perennials for Sun and Taylor's 50 Best Perennials for Shade by Houghton Mifflin The Complete Garden Guide by Time Life Books The Undaunted Garden by Lauren Springer 40 Professional Designs For Do-It-Yourselfers, Beds and Borders by Ireland-Gannon Associates 40 Professional Designs For Do-It-Yourselfers, The Backyard Landscaper by Ireland-Gannon Associates
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants
by Michael A. Dirr
The days of buying a plant just because it looks nice are gone. Customers need to feel confident that the plants we offer are in fact, for this area and will meet or surpass their expectations. Customers are entitled to expect honest answers to questions about how a plant will perform.
Our goals continue to be:
To educate customers so they can be successful, confident gardeners.
To provide healthy plants that are grown in and for this area.
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