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What is Xeriscaping?

During our dry winters, and subsequently dry summers, many people are using the term Xeriscape to describe their new garden plans. What does that mean?  Xeriscape is simply the act of using water-wise gardening and planting the right plants in the right place. Xeric planning and planting create attractive garden spaces that use as little water as possible to look great. 

Some people associate xeriscaping with ZEROscaping, but this is a misconception. Having only gravel and rocks in your front yard (zeroscaping) does not help keep the soil moist or create an environmentally friendly space for people or animals. But planting plants that grow in the gravel, or with the wind and hot sun can create a space that requires only minimum care and little water. 

Although xeriscaping may sound complicated, it is really quite easy once you have a plan. 

There are seven basic principles of Xeriscape:

1. Planning and design 
2. Soil analysis and improvements
3. Practical turf areas or alternatives  – grass isn’t all bad, it helps to keep weeds at a minimum, and covers the soil to maintain cooler soil temperatures. Alternatives to turf, or minimizing turf and replacing with mulched spaces helps the ground maintain moisture and requires less water. 
4. Informed plant choice – Right plant for the right place. 
5. Irrigation – Is an irrigation system the right choice for you? There are several options for irrigation. Underground systems are efficient, but expensive to install. Above ground systems are good, but leave exposed lines which may be considered unattractive. 
6. Mulching – Keeping soil covered helps to maintain cooler soil temperatures, retain moisture and minimize weed growth.
7. Maintenance – Can you keep this space maintained year after year? If so, great! If not, maybe you need to choose a smaller space or rethink the design. 

Remember to choose the material that will be the best choice for your space. Your local independent garden center is a great place to start inquiring about the correct plants for your climate. 

Xeriscape your space and enjoy the many benefits of an environmentally friendly landscape!

Hanging Baskets

Type of Basket:  Three main types of hanging baskets are available –plastic, moss, or fiber. Plastic and coconut fiber baskets hold moisture longer and can easily be moved around. Moss baskets provide a dramatic blast of color but require more water and care.

Location: Is your basket going to be exposed to sun or shade? Is it going to be exposed to lots of wind or rain?  Will you be able to water and deadhead it easily? Do you have irrigation? Will this be connected to irrigation? 

Installation: Where are you going to hang your basket? Is your basket hanger securely mounted? Baskets may be very heavy when wet, especially moss baskets. Ensure your hook is sturdy and can hold sufficient weight. Also, consider whether the basket will obstruct a walkway or doorway.

Maintenance: How much deadheading and watering will the basket require? All baskets need to have maintenance, but different types of flowers have different needs. Ask us for help when purchasing your baskets - we will be able to advise you on maintenance techniques and inform you of the plant materials needs. 

Installation: Is the basket hanger securely mounted? Baskets may be very heavy when wet, especially moss baskets. Ensure your hook is sturdy and can hold sufficient weight. Also, consider whether the basket will obstruct a walkway or doorway.

Watering: Hanging baskets and containers can dry out very quickly. One way to know if your basket is dry is to lift it up from the bottom of the container. This will help you to determine the weight. Dry baskets will be very light and should be watered at once. Heavy baskets usually indicate the basket has adequate water. You may also use your finger, feel the soil to determine how dry or wet it is. When watering, fill the basket until it drains out the drainage holes, usually at the bottom or sides of the basket. If your hanging basket has dried out too much, consider immersing it in a bucket of water to re-soak the soil mix. 

Fertilizing: All annual baskets perform best and maintain many blooms when fertilized regularly. We recommend using liquid fertilizer once or twice a week (depending on the recommendation of the fertilizer company). Do not over fertilize. 

*As the season progresses, pinch back leggy plant stems and faded flowers to encourage more blooms and extend the flowering period.

*Always remember that during very hot summer months you may have to water 2 - 3 times a day! The warmer it is, the faster the basket will dry out.

Common Garden Pests in the Gunnison Valley

Although we have some ways to manage the wildlife in our areas, it is always important to remember that we live in a wild place. We can do our best to manage these problems, but sometimes we just need to concede that an easy solution may never be the final result. 

The most common complaint we receive is about deer. Here are the best ways we have found to manage these large pests. 

• Creating physical barriers with deer fencing or frost/shade cloth are a good option. This will also keep dogs or birds out of the plant material. 
• Liquid deer repellants. These are typically created with natural ingredients. They will smell and taste horrible to deer, but not hurt the plants or animals. Putrid egg solids mixed with spices or natural essences such as mint are the ingredients that have proven more effective for our area.

The second most common critter complaint is regarding moles/voles. These little terrors can damage your yard or garden rapidly. 

There are also several ways to deal with these menaces. 

• Physical barriers can be used, but are hard to manage due to the animals living underground. 
• There are also noise deterrents. A device may be plugged into an outlet and it emits an ultra sonic sound wave that the rodents do not like. 
• Sprays or pellets that are meant to deter rodents are another option. These methods are usually sprayed or sprinkled in the areas where the critters are damaging plants. The effective ingredient in these deterrents is castor oil. This ingredient upsets the animals belly, and causes them to think their food source is bad, and therefore, move along. It will not kill the animal. 

** We are well aware that there are plenty of poisonous options of pest control out there. I have not included information on those choices here. This is just based on repellents and pet friendly options. 

Mulch

Are you wondering whether or not to add mulch to your garden this year?

The short answer is YES!!  Mulch is one of the most   beneficial things you can do for your garden.

All mulches are great insulators, they protect the soil and plant roots from temperature extremes and varying moisture levels. They revitalize soils as they break down over time, adding organic materials to feed the living organisms that help your plants grow. After mulching, the soil texture is greatly improved, which enhances drainage capability. Mulches can also suppress weed growth.

Mulch is best applied after the soil has warmed to growing temperatures of 50 degrees or more in late May or early June. It is not necessary to put down a liner of any kind under the mulch. Organic mulch applied directly on the soil allows the best exchange of air, water and microorganism activity. If you choose to use a liner, use something that allows air and water to penetrate, such as landscape fabric, two or three sheets of newspaper or a single layer of cardboard. Do not use plastic.

Mulch should be 2 to 4 inches deep. Be sure to leave a small ‘donut’ of bare earth around each plant; do not mound mulch tightly around plant crowns. This will minimize bugs, slugs and fungus using the mulch as a ‘highway’ up onto your plants. If you have had problems with slugs and snails in past years, try raking mulch out of the garden into a sunny area until the mulch and soil surface has dried in late spring. Using more coarsely textured mulch can help too.

Many materials can be used as mulch. Here is a list of some common mulches. 

• Good, high quality organic compost is the best mulch choice of all for vegetable and annual garden beds. It breaks down quickly to add nutrition to the garden and revitalize the soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and improving soil texture. There is no need to dig it into the soil; just layer it at plant drip line. The earthworms and weather will get it where it needs to go as the season progresses.
• Wood chips of many varieties, textures and colors are the “classic” mulch. They are usually available from local sources. Larger ‘chunkier’ textures take longer to break down and are not prone to washing or blowing away, but are less suitable for pathways since they can be hard to walk on. Smaller textures break down fairly quickly and are easy to till into the soil every year or two, making them especially useful in vegetable gardens. Be sure any wood mulch material is aged or composted a year or more. Fresh wood ‘steals’ nitrogen from the surrounding soil as it breaks down. If you must use fresh wood, add blood meal or other nitrogen rich amendment with the mulch to compensate.
• Straw is great mulch, especially for vegetable gardens and small fruit beds. A two to four inch layer is enough to shade the soil, conserve moisture at the root zone and deter weeds. It also helps keep produce cleaner, minimizing rain and soil splash. Straw decomposes slowly over the growing season, continually adding organic matter to garden beds. Be sure to keep it an inch or two from plant stems and crowns to deter bugs and allow for good air circulation. At the end of the season, rake the remains away and add to the compost pile.
• Grass clippings can be used as mulch, especially in vegetable gardens. They break down quickly and are a good source of nitrogen.  Be sure to allow them to dry a bit before you add them to your garden and use only in thin layers of an inch or less to avoid matting and molds. Be careful to use only organic clippings that have not been exposed to herbicides.

The bottom line: It really doesn't matter what kind of mulch you use, so long as you mulch your garden. Color, texture and type are entirely up to you!