Internet Specials Every week we have new Internet Specials -- plants, seeds, soil amendments, fertilizers -- just about anything for the garden. Keep checking back to see the latest. Gardening Tips For more information about soil, plants, garden history, botanical news, watering and much more, read 100's of gardening articles in our extensive online Library. David Salman, President/ Chief Horticulturist Ava Salman, VP / Dir. of Marketing Kerry Kirkpatrick, Ezine Coordinator and Designer

Xeriscaping vs. "Zero"-scaping
Keeping your Cool with Water Thrifty Landscaping,
Part 1 -- By David Salman

Having designed, planted and maintained xeric landscapes in northern New Mexico's high desert climate for the past two decades, I've developed an in-depth understanding and appreciation of xeriscaping. I've also come to see how the principles of xeriscaping, the importance of landscaping to the beauty and value of our properties and the need for landscaping to be an eco-friendly endeavor, fit together. This is High Country Garden's Style of Xeriscaping, and it should be the guiding force behind how we all garden, whether it's in an arid region or a region that gets ample rainfall.

It's unfortunate that the word Xeriscaping is often mispronounced as "Zeroscaping." For most people, this mispronunciation becomes their reality. To them, a xeriscape is no more than a parched, gravel filled yard with a few struggling yuccas or pampas grass clumps stuck into the rocks.

Here in the West, home of the xeriscaping movement, dry conditions and varying degrees of drought are the norm. To conserve water, many towns and cities impose summer watering restrictions, necessitating the need for our landscapes to live on a water budget. There is no "xeric rule" that only low water (xeric) or drought tolerant plants are allowed. You can grow any kind of plant you want in a xeriscape, just don't plant a thirsty lawn or too many water intensive plants or you'll exceed your monthly water budget in the first week.

With The High Country Gardens Style of Xeriscaping, you can enhance the beauty, comfort and monetary value of your property with well chosen plants. Thoughtful placement of deciduous trees will shade the south and west sides of our homes and offices to keep the buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Combinations of other regionally suitable plants and water use focused on areas of your property where these plants have the most ornamental impact, will keep your water budget intact.

Use water harvesting to direct rain and melted snow run-off from roofs and hard surfaces into the soil around shade trees and planting areas. It's free and it lets nature supplement your landscape's water needs.

Resist the urge to replace thirsty lawn grasses with a hot patch of gravel. Instead, save water and gasoline by using low mow, low water dwarf fescue grass or native turf grasses like buffalo grass and blue grama. In parts of your yard that don't have foot traffic, use herbaceous and woody groundcovers to carpet the area with their cooling foliage.

The greatest hazard of "zeroscaping" is that it adds to the heating of our urban environments. Better known as the "heat island effect," loss of cooling plants has been documented to increase urban temperatures in excess of 20°F. Energy and water use actually increase while causing our cities to become drier without the cloud seeding effects of trees and plants.

Remember, just say no to "zeroscapes." Take pride in your landscape while enjoying its many benefits. Make xeriscaping your gardening mantra.

David Salman is the President and Chief Horticulturist at High Country Gardens. In 2008, he was a distinguished recipient of the AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 2008 Great American Gardeners Award.

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I had a fantastic experience installing a DripWorks system in my xeriscape. I had no problems, no disappointments, and no missing parts. Everything worked well and it made me feel like an expert the first time. Your catalog is so user-friendly; it's like having an advisor there to hold your hand. -- Dan, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bring in The Joy of Spring with Naturalizing Bulbs

Fall is the only time to plant many spring blooming bulbs. tulips, daffodils, crocus, and a wide array of wildflower bulbs are early spring bloomers.When you see the cheerful spring blooming of bulbs popping up after a long, hard winter, you will be happy that you took the time to plant them the previous fall.

Bulbs are extremely low maintenance and grow in many types of soils. They can also be planted to look as if they've been part of the native landscape for a long time, thus the term naturalizing. Planted this way, they will get bigger year after year and your spring display will be more spectacular as the years go by.

Our High Country Gardens Naturalizing Bulbs
Our large, firm, healthy bulbs come from Holland and are stored in our temperature controlled warehouses. Our perennial wildflower bulbs, wildflower tulips, crocus, miniature iris and daffodils are some of the best bulbs for naturalizing. Plant them in your perennial gardens, groundcovers, and patio garden spaces.

Creating That Natural Look

• Plant a large number of bulbs to create a showy display. Plant in drifts or clumps. Don't plant like corn; avoid straight lines.
• Naturalizing bulbs will increase so you'll want room for the new bulblets that form.
• Crocus and small wildflowers such as the Miniature Iris, Galanthus, and Chionodoxa look especially pretty planted in native grass lawns, tucked into perennial borders or among groundcovers.

Critter Resistant Bulbs
Work with nature by planting critter-resistant bulbs in open areas where deer and rabbits are searching for food. Deer, rabbits and gophers avoid Daffodils. Rabbits and deer also resist Allium. View all of our Deer and Rabbit Resistant Bulbs.

More About Bulbs




Fertilizing in the Fall

Plant needs are different now than in the spring and summer. In the fall, with all their energy going to the roots, plants don't want food that stimulates the upper growth. High Country Gardens is a strong advocate of using natural and organic fertilizers to 'feed the soil' which in turn converts nutrients into usable forms for root absorption. A healthy, fertile soil is the key to gardening success.

Improve your soil's fertility and boost the growth and health of beneficial soil microbes by using our Soil Booster Fertilizer Pack. Spread these nutrient rich natural and organic ingredients over the soil's surface. Lightly scratch them into the top of the soil and apply a nice layer of mulch over the top. Then water the fertilized areas thoroughly if fall rains are lacking.

Lightly scratch granular fertilizers into the top of the soil and where appropriate, apply a nice layer of mulch over the top. Water the fertilized areas thoroughly if fall rains are lacking.

Also, don't forget to fertilize your low water lawn. October and November are the best months for this. We recommend using Organica's patented fertilizer and microbial products.

If plants have developed chlorotic foliage (yellow tissue between green veins) over the summer, they are showing signs of diminished iron uptake. Fertilize now with Greensand and water it in with the Saltwater Farms Liquid Seaweed to increase root absorption.

The best time to fertilize in the fall is after a few light frosts or when trees begin dropping their leaves. Though it may sound odd to feed plants now, an ample supply of fertilizer in the fall will give plants a head start when it's time to grow in the spring.