Don't let those plants get too thirsty

Tag : gardening clogs

A good mulch helps make the garden landscape look“finished” and neat. Cheap mulch material looks simplycheap, so use a better quality material to have a nicer lookinggarden.

Conserving water

Since we are asked (or required) to conserve water use, a droughttolerant landscape is a better choice. But if you really want amore lush garden, you can have it and still conserve water byhaving the main part of the landscape with drought tolerant speciesand then a more thirsty limited area, perhaps close to a patio orin containers, etc. The higher use watering area will be small incomparison to the overall garden, and you can have more color inthe garden by this method and still save water consumption.

If you do not change your garden, you can save water use bychanging the watering technique. Double watering is a helpfulanswer. You water the area as usual, then you leave it for a shortperiod of time to let the water soak in, then you water it again.This gets water to deeper soil levels and the roots grow deeper andtap into that reserve. It is important to remember not to water toooften since you are applying water to deeper levels. You can skip aday or more since the plants can go longer between waterings withthis method.

Less thirsty species

Dierama spp. (Wandflower, Angel’s Fishing Rods) - These arevery easy care clumping bulbs which grassy clumps and gracefulslender flower stalks bearing wiry hanging threadlike stems whichhold the bell shaped flowers. Colors are white, silvery lavender,and pinks, and on to deep maroon and midnight purples. Bloom goeson for at least a month and when done, the stems bear seed podswhich look like green pearls.

When these mature and open, the orange seeds inside are showy. Thespecies vary both in size and colors and also time of bloom. Awonderful plant for sun - part shade and protect from gophers, theyrelish these bulbs.

Placement in the garden is important. You need to give them spacearound each clump and preferably a dome of open space above eachplant as well. The reason is that the graceful effect of thoseslender swaying stalks moving in the wind are best appreciated notbumping into other things and they showcase themselves offspectacularly well when done in a broad open field type ofplacement of several clumps of plants together in an area. Themovement effect is intensified by this planting method andmaintenance is almost zero.

Calendrinia spectabilis - This looks like a succulent and growsquickly to make a mound of succulent leaves and makes many flowerstalks, each bearing a very long blooming cluster of buds whichopen to magenta purple cups and frilly stamens within. Each bloomlasts only a day, but they bloom on and on. As the plant grows intoa mound, it makes lots of bloom stalks and so you get a lot ofcolor, sort of like a clump poppy in effect. Full sun is best, toomuch shade will make the plant leggy.

Any and all of the above associate well with other plants likeagapanthus, salvias, oreganum spp., which are all common in thenursery trade.



Erik Hagiwara-Nagata is the owner of Garden Delights Nursery inPenngrove. He can be reached at 665-9112 or www.hanascape.com .
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