Learn about native plant gardening

Sigh, I want to stress that I am not a horticulturist or a botanist but simply a person who happens to love the environment and nature.   I breaks my heart to see it damaged by intentionally introducing animals into a habitat where they don’t belong (I’m thinking of the mongooses I saw on Maui to control rats but ended up destroying the eggs of the local birds) or plants that take over and engulf areas that are meant for native plants.

A week ago as I was walking up a dry stream bed behind my house, doing some seed collecting and I was shocked to see a Tamerisk bush growing in it that was about 8′ tall.   What a heartbreaking vision this was, plus I could see some smaller plants in the area surrounding it as well.

The problem with Tamerisk  is that they are not only an invasive species of plant but they will literally take all the water that they can find and deprive the native plants in the same area of any moisture to sustain themselves.   They have very long tap roots, are extremely difficult to remove and eventually they will choke out any competition and completely take over the area.

I just felt so upset about this and resigned to the feeling that there was nothing that I could do about it.  In all the years of hiking around in the hills and through the stream bed areas, I have never seen one before and I’m wondering if some idiot planted some in the housing tract nearby or if possibly the golf course’s landscape that butts up to the area, it the source of the invader.

Many plants that are popular for use in landscaping come from other areas and are not compatible with our climate, environment or our local plants.   They tend to invade the hillsides and open spaces and it becomes virtually impossible to stop their expansion.  Please inform yourself, your landscaper or Gardener as to which plants should be avoided when planning  your landscaping.

Do nature a favor and be sure that your choices aren’t going to become a problem in the future.   “It” may look nice (Fountain Grass) but it’s an awful choice when there are so many other beautiful native plants that are better and more beautiful to use for landscaping your home.

For more information, you can go to the California Invasive Plant Council:

http://cal-ipc.org

It’s been very busy for me the last few weeks and I’m trying to keep up with regular posts, but I’m finding it to be difficult, as I’m being pulled in a multitude of directions.

With the arrival of spring that was proceeded by copious amounts of rain during the winter, the garden has exploded in new growth, robust life & looks postively amazing!

Initially I thought I would mention what plants were beginning to bloom but now it’s past that phase and then I thought I would talk about some of the gardens I saw last weekend on the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants…(what a mouthful)  garden tour.

Now I’m thinking that I probably should be sharing the fact that my OWN garden will be on tour this coming Sat. April 16th from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

I am part of a native plant garden tour that is being co-chaired by the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and the California Native Plant Society (Channel Islands Chapter).   This event will cover Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and should be a wonderful event.

Between now and then, I will be labeling my plants, sprucing the garden up a bit and I will also have a selection of native plant books for people to peek at and other handouts.

And I will be  promoting my social networking site for people that love nature, native plants and anything associated with sustainability.    It’s free to join and I feel it  will  grow to be quite large over time as more people wish to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences in creating wildlife habitats or just enjoying nature.

http://bit.ly/hQt7xC

At some point in the near future, I will let you know what is blooming in the garden and also my experience with the Theo. Payne garden tour.   There’s just too much going on right now for me to share it all, but I promise, I will.

Go dig, go plant, go “native”!

Well, that certainly got my attention this morning, as I saw this statement, scrolling along the bottom of the screen for the television program, “Good Morning America”.

My feelings are mixed on this topic….good news as far as the amount of water that the state has received from the rain during this past winter.   And certainly very good news if you are a farmer who desperately needs it for your crops.

But I’m thinking that at the same time, most people of the state will simply return to wasting water again.  It will be  as though they have been given the “green’ (How funny I should use that term) flag to use water thirsty plants in their landscapes & gleefully indulge themselves in their previously  bad water habits.

Opps!   Here comes more of the “tropical” and “English Cottage” gardens, which…don’t get me wrong or feel insulted by my next comment.   I feel that those particular designs are very beautiful and I enjoy seeing them, too.    But somewhere else and not in our Mediterranean climate which is obviously a hostile zone to those babies.

Now I suppose I will start to see more runoff from poorly managed and maintained irrigation systems and the water will stream into the street, into the arroyos and eventually to the ocean.

And of course, this run off will be laden with pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, along with the usual culprits otherwise know as plastic.   And lots of that in it’s various and obnoxious forms, typically (guess what I’m about to say) plastic water bottles.

There’s that word “water” again.

It’s okay if you chose to have a large lawn and bedding plants that require water.   But please try to keep the water on your site.   Don’t let it run down the street, contributing to the toxic run offs that the ocean has to contend with & it’s struggle to be remain healthy and beautiful.

And I sincerely hope that people will not turn their backs on creating lovely gardens from our unique and varied native plants.  There are more nurseries each year  that are specializing in them and there is an extensive choice of books covering many topics that relate to native plants in the landscape. 

At this time there are several garden tours taking place with the focus on them and all you need to do,  is plan a day touring the gardens, getting ideas and you will quickly see how beautiful a garden designed and  filled with “natives’ can be.

The Theodore Payne Foundation will be having a two day garden tour in Los Angeles county next month and if you would like to attend it, here is their link for information;

http://bit.ly/dFjbHK

And my own garden will also be part of a tour on April 16th, through the California Native Plant Society.   This is being partially organized by the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and if you would like some  information about it, here is their website as well:

http://bit.ly/gWGfCR

If you have the opportunity to do one of these tours, you will not regret it and I know you will fall in love with our native plants.

And that’s always good.

I mentioned in an earlier post how much I love the appearance and feel of native grasses and their use in residential landscapes.   The possibilities for garden designs and the varieties of grasses are unlimited and more home owners may want to consider utilizing them in their landscapes to create a different mood in their gardens.

“The American Meadow Garden”  written by John Greenlee discusses in great detail the endless possibilities but I would like to share the excellent article written by Rob Moore with California Native Landscape Design http://bit.ly/dqw87W   where he shares his thoughts as well in the following article.

“One of the questions I always ask my clientele during the preliminary design phase is if they like California native bunchgrasses. From a design perspective, bunchgrasses offer a plethora of benefits both aesthetic and functional.  Attributes include contrast, the element of motion, habitat restoration, visual interest, and historical value.

Experts conclude that native grasslands in California are among the most endangered ecosystem in the United States. Due in most part to historical land use and introduced disease, it is estimated that less than 1% of our state’s original grasslands remain. Fortunately, as forward-thinking home and business owners, we can address this issue by including California’s native grasses in our residential and commercial landscapes.

A short list of favorites for the garden include Purple Three-Awn Aristida purpurea, Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis, California Fescue Festuca californica, Giant Wild Rye Leymus condensates, California Melic Melica californica, Deer Grass Muhlenbergia rigens, and Purple Needlegrass Nassella pulchra (our state grass here in California). Grass-like species such as Sedges Carex spp. are a great addition to a California-friendly, native garden as well.

In their natural environment, native grasses typically occur in groups with bare ground between them where wildflowers grow. Even though some gardeners feel grasses look messy; in consideration of wildlife value, letting things go to seed and having an area that’s ‘messy’ is good for seed-eaters and butterflies.  Alternatively, hand trimming at the appropriate time of year is preferable aesthetically, and an occasional grooming to remove dead leaves and spent flower stalks or a seasonal coppice is perfectly acceptable and will keep them looking tidy.

Most of the aforementioned ornamental grasses will prefer a sunny spot in the landscape and will be tolerant of drought once established, though most species will look better with occasional summer water.

Like many native plants, grasses play an important role in providing cover, nesting materials, and additional food sources for beneficial, garden-friendly wildlife. Coupled with the addition of contrast, the element of motion, habitat restoration, and historical value, I’m confident that you will enjoy the addition of California’s native bunchgrasses to your garden!”