How to Choose Drought-Tolerant Plants

 backyard design  3 Responses »
Aug 312009
 

It never hurts to choose drought tolerant plants.
Creative Commons License photo credit: paparutzi

Even moist climates occasionally have droughts and certain areas in any yard may be dry or have constant sun where plants with low water needs will thrive.

There is also a shortage of water in many areas so water conservation is a practice we should all use.

Drought-tolerant landscapes will need less water, which can save you a lot of money if you live in a city or town. Drought resistant plants also require less work.

Drought-tolerant plants are not just cacti. There are numerous varieties of plants that will fit well into your landscape and will add color, interest and use to your home. You will find that most native plants are drought resistant.P1150590
Creative Commons License photo credit: dave_langlois

Planning a drought resistant garden or landscape.

Choose mainly perennials.

You not have to replace perennials every year as you do annuals and they also tend to be more drought-tolerant than lots of annuals. This is due to the fact that they more often than not have deeper roots that drink in and store water. If you chose a few annuals you may want to select annuals that will reseed from year to year.

Choose native plants.

Native plants have adapted over time to your particular growing zone and climate. They tend to be more drought-tolerant and hardier.

Choose plants that are particularly known to be drought-tolerant. A few of these plants include: daylilies, coneflowers, artemisia, and sedums.

Herbs

Herbs tend to be very versatile to many growing conditions and they have the added benefit herbal uses, which may include seasonings, crafts, fragrances or dried bouquets.Willow Herb
Creative Commons License photo credit: Brianforbes37

Tips for drought conditions

Deeper and less frequent watering is best. Water for at least 20 minutes about once a week.

A rule of thumb is you want the plants to get about an inch of water. Shallow watering equals development of shallow roots.

Drip watering systems will help to conserve water.

Hand watering will direct the water directly where you want it.

Set up rain barrels on your property.

And when a drought is bad, recycle your water. Plants will not suffer from water you washed dishes in.

Check out The Gardeners Rake for an article on How to water plants during a drought

Posted by Denise at 9:50 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Create a dry bed for beauty and water drainage problems

 backyard design  1 Response »
Aug 282009
 

My property has a large hill on the other side of the road and continues to slope down to the creek. This means I have numerous creeks and streams that need to be kept open for proper drainage. It also means that if we have long heavy rains the property may have flash flooding. Dry Creek Bed
Creative Commons License photo credit: CJ Sorg

For this reason the land is being re-evaluated and extra precautions are being taken to make sure excess water always has a place to go. Run off ponds and dry creeks are being added to the property to help with these times.

Dry Creeks

Dry creeks can be beautiful and add to the landscape and atmosphere of a yard. They will also redirect water in times of a bad flood which will protect your plants, trees, landscaping and home.

A dry creek bed, when landscaped is attractive and adds the ambiance of a rushing stream, even without water. Here is how to build a dry creek bed for landscape drainage.

Materials needed.

· Landscape fabric
· Landscape fabric pins or garden staples
· Boulders in various sizes from 1 to 3 feet across (hunt for your own to save money and add to the fun and stores of the yard)
· Round river rock in 1, 2 and 3 inch sizes
· 1/2 inch round pebbles
· Shovel
· Tamping tool

Plan the course of the dry creek bed.

First look for the problem area where water will get out of control. The best time for this is when it’s raining. Find the beginning point of the water and watch its flow to see where the water goes.

You will need a creek for the water to drain into or a pond for excess water to be stored when you have a bad storm or flood. Once you know where the water will head it’s time to lie out your dry creek.

Note: you may want to contact the conservation department or your local Extension Agency for more help

For a natural look create gentle curves and turns that resemble a meandering stream. This will also help to slow the excess water down. Redirect the bottom of the stream away from buildings and plants for proper drainage. DSC_5535
Creative Commons License photo credit: boonejag75

Dig the outline using a shovel; making sure the creek bed is slightly deeper in the middle. Use the excess soil to build up mounds along the sides of the dry creek bed. Tamp the soil down with a tamping tool. This will help set the soil and base of the dry creek.

Dry creek beds are usually about 3 feet wide and 1 1/2 inches deep. Mine, due to the large run off my property has will be twice as wide.

Lay landscape fabric in the creek bed to keep weeds from growing and as an additional precaution against soil erosion. Avoid getting any of the dirt on the fabric.

Place the large boulders here and there along the sides of the creek bed and settle them in 1 to 2 inches deep. This will hold the landscaping fabric in place and add to the natural look you are trying to create.

Scatter the largest size of river rock over the fabric of the creek bed. Next add an inch deep layer of pebbles over everything.

Toss the remaining sizes of river rock randomly down the dry creek bed.
To help set the pebbles, walk around on the pebbles to press them in place.

Plants and tall ornamental grasses will soften the edges of the dry riverbed and make it a place to enjoy. You may want to place a bench, gazebo or small bridge over the creek. Autumn Joy
Creative Commons License photo credit: Memotions

Here is another article with a run off pond and more ideas for a dry creek: Add-a-dry-creek-to-your-yard-fill-in-a-pond-or-create-drainage

Posted by Denise at 1:43 pm  Tagged with: , ,

How to Set up a Moveable Garden

 backyard oasis disaster  3 Responses »
Aug 252009
 

Why would you want to set up a moveable garden? Reasons could include extending the gardening season, climate control, and animal control or just to create change in your backyard and landscaping design.

I am creating two moveable gardens. Both gardens are for the same reason: flood control and to create new looks for my yard. By changing growing containers and flowers I can give the area a new look for each season.

As we are moving into fall in my area I will make my first containers mainly a collection of autumn mums. Other ideas might be a dried tree root with vines or an old crate with a variety of potted plants.

In the front of my yard I have had a raised bed garden. It’s been practical for ease in mowing and it’s been very pretty. But with the recent front yard flooding I am setting the landscaping up in such a way to redirect any future water problems and to protect the house and the lower apartment.

For this reason, to keep moisture away from the house I am removing the plants from the raised beds and turning it into a raise flat rock patio area. This will remove any soil that can attract moisture to the house foundation. My plan is to lay in flat rock and then add potted trees, plants and garden features to the area for color. The outer corners will keep a small amount of soil but be set up to keep water away from the foundation Two shrubs will remain but small potted trees will be added to the flat rock patio for height and interest.

To start my flat rock patio garden I have removed my perennial plants and added them to a holding garden (a garden that houses any stray homeless plants).

I have placed a 4-inch tall by 2-inch wide small cement wall by the house to keep any soil and moisture away from the foundation. This will not be noticeable when I am done with the flat rock patio.

Next I have laid down heavy cardboard to make sure I have choked out any weeds that may think of growing.

It has taken several days to pick out rocks that fit in a nice pattern and will lay flat. To help make sure the rock lay well I put down some free sand I picked up from a home where they were removing their pool. By walking and tamping down on the rock I have helped them to settle in.

After letting them settle for a few weeks I will add cement or another bonding material. After all the reason for the rock patio is to keep the area by the house dry.

The flat rock patio will take a month or so to totally finish and will be a garden area that can and will change with the seasons.

I may include some vegetables and herbs next summer in containers and a large container of sunflower would add color to the garden area. I would also like to pick up a container fruit tree and an indoor-outdoor tall tropical plant.

My second moveable garden will be located on my rock retaining wall that is nothing but a plain and very ugly looking pile of rock. This project needs a backhoe, topsoil, and compost and time to make it look good. This wall is my new flood protection for the house as the road drains were damaged beyond repair this year in the flooding we have had this summer.

This project will be covered later this fall.

TIP: If you need concrete for any of your projects call your local cement or construction company. There are times you can make arrangements for free or reduced concrete. All you need to do is have the area prepared and ready for any concrete.

If the company has extra material from a job that they need to get rid of and you have the area ready and can level the material they will often give it to you for free. The problems are, the area must be ready to pour at any time and you must be able to work the concrete when they can deliver it.

Posted by Denise at 9:14 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Backyard Oasis Disaster: Redoing the yard

 backyard design  No Responses »
Aug 242009
 

Where do you start when your entire yard needs redone?

With my wet cold summer and four floods on the property – everything need redone. Front, side and backyard. And the most important part of my landscaping design is to protect the yard from run-off to stop any further flood damage.

The storms we had this year destroyed the drains on the opposite side of the road and if it rains very hard or long I have mini rockslides and water running into the road and through the yard.

I also have three clogged streams that need to be cleaned out so that the streams will drain properly into the creak and not spread out over the lawn areas.

So where do I begin?

  1. I called the conservation department to see how I can set up runoff ponds to catch any heavy rain. I have no idea when the road company will fix the ditches and drains but why depend on other people to fix a problem. If I fix my lower property by making it run-off safe and by putting in dry creeks and run-off ponds to catch and re-direct water I don’t have to depend on others and wait in line for assistance. This part of my project will take months
  2. I also called the utility companies to check where I can dig on the property without hitting cables or pipelines. This is particularly important with the gas line. I know where the new line is but there is an old line and I need that marked before I can dig any pond or put in a streambed. The gas company will be by later this week to mark any lines.
  3. I will have family do most for the backhoe work, which will save me money but the ponds and dry creeks will have to be put dug and installed in stages.
  4. The most important work to be done with the backhoe is to put in a new driveway and fix the rock retaining wall in front of the property. Right now there is no driveway left and the pile of rocks look dreadful

Note: When you plan to do backhoe work you need to have any papers filed if they are required in your area, check for utility lines and pipes and know heavy equipment safety. This link to Home and Garden Online has a great article on how to use heavy equipment: How to Operate mini heavy equipment at home

So for right now my first major project is to redo the front yard, which was totally washed out. The driveway has to be put in and the rock wall smoothed and landscaped. This area will be landscaped to redirect water, just in case I have a problem again. I don’t want or need water in the house.

My side front yard was also a perennial garden and it was washed out earlier this summer. I left it a mess so that I could find the perennials that were beaten down in a runoff flood. Now it’s time to clean up the area and replant it.

My first small project: assemble my plants and ground cover and lay out my new garden design.

I will also be making as much compost as I can. I will need this for my new perennial garden area and for the rock pile. Check out my sister site, The Gardener’s Rake for an article on how to make compost in two weeks.

And tomorrows project: How to set up a moveable garden

Posted by Denise at 10:02 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Backyard Oasis Week-long Landscaping Event

 backyard design  No Responses »
Aug 192009
 

Backyard Oasis along with its sister site, The Gardener’s Rake, will have a week-long event starting August 24th.

california wildflower watch 09
Creative Commons License photo credit: simonsun08

Topics covered will deal with landscaping and repairing yards and gardens that have suffered from drought or flooding. Here are a few areas that there will be articles on;

  • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Gardening under Glass
  • Dry Creeks
  • The Moveable Garden
  • Climate problems
  • surviving drought
  • flat rock patio
  • hardy trees and plants
  • and landscape ideas.

My yard has had three separate floods caused by run off and our summer has been cold and wet. Crops have suffered and the trees are yellow and sickly looking. Its fair the say the yard is a total disaster!

One area I know I will need as much product as possible is compost and mulch. I need mulch to cover my new garden areas and areas I will set up as run off areas. I will also need compost for all the new areas that will be set up to make sure run off water can not reach the house or gardens. In front at right
Creative Commons License photo credit: vieux bandit

With the amount of work that needs to be done I am setting up my projects to be as low cost as possible.

Below is a link to an article I wrote on my sister site, the Gardener’s Rake on different ways to compost. By using grass clippings, straw, leaves and any other organic matter you can get, you can turn out compost to add to plain old dirt that will make rich soil for planting and making new garden beds or retaining walls that will redirect water.

Follow this link: Different ways to compost

Mulch:

I am looking for different free items to pick up to use, as much for the front yard area I have designed to make sure water will not reach my house. Right now I have course sawdust for the rock area and I am contacting tree companies to have bark or chips delivered. By the tree bases I am using leaves that have sat for several years. At this stage its usually considered leaf mold, which is very rich in nutrients.

I break down mulches into three different categories

Light colored mulches: light will reflect from a light-color mulch: particularly decorative landscaping mulches, such as white stones. This will keep the soil cooler but can overheat surrounding plants.

Dark-color mulches: absorb and retain more heat from the sun than light mulches. That’s an advantage in my cooler climate, zone 5, but will be a disadvantage in a hotter climate.

Organic mulches: Organic mulches are my favorite. They include grass clippings, leaves, manure, and compost and will improve the soil – stones and plastic don’t. Many organic types of mulch can be obtained for free.

Black plastic is popular but unless it’s porous or perforated, it grows a smelly, slimy coating. It will also turn brittle and breaks into little pieces in time that escapes the garden and create a mess. Cheap landscape fabric is not worth it — weeds and roots will tangle in it and trying to remove the fabric later is a headache. At least it was for me.

Some mulch won’t stay put so choose wisely. Gravel and stones creep onto lawns. Cocoa hulls blow away and small bark chips can wash downstream in a heavy rain.

In general, mulches with heavy or large pieces are more likely to stay put. Those that form a mat, such as leaves and pine needles, are usually stable, too. My favorite mulch are leaves and for me they are easy to find and free for hauling away.

More forms of mulch will be covered next week in the week-long landscaping event. Check back for more information.

Posted by Denise at 10:15 pm  Tagged with: , , ,
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