Gardening in Large Areas
By Mary Ann Walz
Larger may be better, but when it comes to gardening, large can mean more work with bigger challenges to create a cohesive design. When designing the landscape for a large lot, I like to take the permaculture approach. This means establishing zones or areas of various intensities and uses.
• Zone 1 -- Daily Care
 Close to the house or in areas where I walk on a daily basis, like from the house to my car, I plan more intense landscaping. Here I put in beds that require frequent watering and tending. It's where I place plants that need more protection from the elements--perennial borders, bulbs, and seasonal pots. I may have a few trees and shrubs here such as dwarf conifers, Japanese maples, or a contorted crabapple tree.
• Zone 2 -- Frequent Care
The next zone out from the house has a small lawn, my vegetable garden, and fruit trees. These require frequent care but not daily--weeding and watering.
• Zone 3 -- Low Maintenance
 This area is further out still, where
native grasses flourish and need only a once or twice a year mowing--or not at all depending your taste for the manicured look or a more natural appearance. Use native shrubs that attract birds here. Some good ones are
Rhus triloabata (great fall color), varieties of
Ribes (one of the first to green up), and
Prunus besseyi. The shrubs here will require watering to get established and an occasional soaking thereafter.
• Zone 4 -- No Maintenance Except Mother Nature's
I put in Ponderosa Pines to establish a small grove about 300 feet from my house. Two hoses connected won't even reach them. The result is extremely slow growth because I don’t water them enough. This zone should be left to Mother Nature. I don’t do much to this area except walk through it periodically and pull an invasive or exotic weed if see one.
Birds, Bees, and other Wildlife
 Large lots often allow for a good variety of wildlife from birds to butterflies to deer and rabbits. I live high enough that the occasional bear comes down, too. It's indeed a challenge to manage all this and create a landscape that accommodates all. But large lot gardening, if you're up for the challenge, can be wonderfully satisfying.
Creating Rooms in the Garden
By Mary Ann Walz
 Our homes have special rooms for relaxing, cooking, dining, napping and reading. Why not have rooms in the garden for many of the same activities? Finding these areas in your yard might be easier than you think. They are areas towards which you already gravitate.
Determine Activities
The first step is to determine what you want to do in what parts of the garden.
• Dining
 It makes sense to do cooking and dining close together, and possibly close to the house. When placing table and chairs note the prevailing winds. Do you need to plant shrubs for windbreaks? Is there shelter from the sun for lunching here? Make lighting available for night dining--candles, electric fixtures or strings of tiny lights hung in tree branches.
• Relaxing, reading or napping
Ideally you want a sense of enclosure for these. Have comfortable furniture here, perhaps even a hammock. A side table is nice for drinks and books. And shade is a necessity during the day light hours.
• Meditating
 We all need some quiet time to reflect on things. An open space with a fantastic view is perfect for this. I have several seating areas in my garden that invite lingering. None of them have much enclosure but all are relatively private with a nice view of the mountains and sounds from the river.
My many garden rooms include shade from young cottonwoods that covers the room with Adirondack chairs. Another is on the deck where I look out to the tree tops and watch the bird feeders. I have a wicker loveseat here and chairs with cushions. Potted geraniums and annuals are to the side. Creating rooms in your garden really gives you the chance to enjoy all the work you do in your garden and lets you feel more at home in your own home.
David's Helpful Hints: Watering Tips
Keep in Mind
 It takes 4 to 8 weeks for roots to grow into the surrounding soil.- Sandy soils require extra amounts of water.
- Don't water when it's windy. Wind quickly evaporates water.
- When running a drip irrigation system, place at least one emitter directly over the root ball. Place other emitters off to the side to moisten surrounding soil.
How Much to Water
 Water deeply as opposed to surface watering.- A 5-gallon potted shrub or tree needs 5-gallons of water applied once a week.
- Most perennials need 1 to 2-gallons of water applied twice a week.
- Annuals and perennials need water to a depth of 6 to 12 inches.
When to Water
- Water after the soil has dried out but before plants wilt.
- Water early in the morning to lessen evaporation and discourage foliar diseases caused by wet foliage at night.
Making New Plantings Water Efficient
- Create a "well" around newly installed plants with a circle of plastic edging, a ring of rocks or a ring cut from the top of a plastic nursery pot. This is preferable over a ring of soil, which melts and holds less and less water over time. Fill the "well" twice when watering to completely saturate the root ball.
- Use organic fertilizers such as Soil Mender® Compost and Yum Yum® Mix that fortify the soil with organic matter, which increases its water holding capacity.
Plant Combinations for Great Garden Designs
Make a corner for medium stemmed and brightly flowered plants with this month's tri-combo.
Nepeta x 'Walker's Low' Catmint is named after a place in England and is a stunning non-reseeding selection with attractive, crinkled blue-green foliage and a profusion of deep lavender-blue flowers. Shear it back after the first flush of flowers in late spring and it will come back into bloom later in the summer. A rugged, easy-to-grow addition to any xeriscape. Zones 4-9.
Penstemon pinifolius 'Compactum' (Compact Pineleaf Penstemon) is a scarlet wonder and a dwarf version of the larger, more familiar Pineleaf Penstemon. The tiny evergreen needle-like leaves and short wiry stems form a tidy, tiny shrublet that seems to catch fire when the intense scarlet flowers smother the plant in late spring. Compact Pineleaf Penstemon blooms many weeks before the larger orange-flowered Pineleaf Penstemon. Zones 4-9.
Salvia x sylvestris 'Blue Hill' is a knockout performer from Germany, valued for its sturdy, compact stature, summer-long blooming habit. It's clear blue flowers blends subtly into gardens, bringing out the best in other plants. Modest amounts of water and any enriched garden soil keep this plant happy and blooming. Zones 4-9.
Gardening Lingo — terms for the horticulturist.
Lean soil: Soil, such as clay or sand, that doesn’t contain much humus or rich nutrients.
Suckers: Often called watersprouts, shoots or canes, this growth springs from the roots of trees, some shrubs and roses. They should be removed, especially if they're from the rootstock of grafted trees or roses.
Cultivar: A cultivated variety from a plant that grows naturally in the wild.
View all the Gardening Lingo from our Monthly Ezines
More Gardening Articles
|
Our homes have special rooms for relaxing, cooking, dining, napping and reading. Why not have rooms in the garden for many of the same activities?
