Let’s talk Gardens
by Lyn Olsson

We have some beautiful and unique gardens in our neighborhood—gardens with character and creativity. It’s great to walk around the neighborhood and borrow ideas from the neighboring denizens.

An idea that’s caught on well around here is a practice called xeriscape. You’ve probably heard the term. Xeriscape (pronounced zera-scape) was coined in Colorado in the late 70s or early 80s in response to a prolonged drought there. Xeros is the Greek word for dry, and scape is the English word for vista. A xeriscape is a water-wise landscape. It means planting a landscape that is appropriate to your climate, soil type, exposure, etc., and then further, grouping plants with similar needs together.

Xeriscape does not necessarily mean a desert landscape of gravel and cactus, unless of course you live in the desert. Xeriscape is practiced across the country, and in fact, the National Xeriscape Council headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia, which seems like a pretty lush and green place to me. Xeriscape is all about using plants that have low water requirements.

There are seven basic principals to xeriscape: planning and design, soil analysis, practical turf areas, mulches, efficient irrigation, appropriate plants, and appropriate maintenance. Planning and design is a pretty personal thing. Our soils here are generally on the alkaline side, and will not support acid-loving plants such as azaleas and camellias without amendments. San Diego is not Kentucky, with expansive, Mother Nature-watered fields of grass; so keeping smaller (or no) turf areas is more appropriate for us. Water evaporates through the soil at an astounding rate, so mulching with organic or inorganic materials can mean the difference between a plant thriving or dying, even for the most drought-tolerant of plants. Appropriate irrigation means efficient, and non-water-wasting methods of application, such as drip, and certainly not letting excess water run down the gutter to the ocean. Appropriate plants—that’s the fun part. And maintenance—well, for some it’s fun, for some it’s not.

The plant palate that we have here in San Diego consists of almost all introduced, non-native species. Before the white man arrived here and changed the landscape so drastically, San Diego was, except for the riparian canyons, a dry and relatively barren landscape. Except for the water that we import, it’s still a dry environment. Aside from the natives and the large, mature trees that have tapped deep groundwater, all of our landscaping needs irrigation. By practicing the seven principals mentioned above, it’s possible to save considerably on your water bill (40-70%), spend less time in maintenance, and a whole lot less on pest and disease control.

Some of the more drought-tolerant plants that are used very effectively in this neighborhood are: Artemesia, Salvia, many kinds of cacti and succulents, rockroses, Manzanita, ornamental grasses, Cercis, Penstemon, Yarrow, Kangaroo paw, snow-in-summer, rosemary and other herbs, Westringia, Leptospermum, Geranium, Euphorbia, and many, many more that I’m not thinking of at the moment. Some, but not all of the species are California natives, or at least are hybrids. Some of the most common landscaping plants can actually be drought-tolerant, if conditioned to be so: Pittosporum, Raphiolepsis, Texas privet, and Eugenia all spring to mind.

There’s an incredible amount of information out there for anyone interested in xeriscape. Go onto your favorite browser and type in the term, and you’ll be pleased with what comes up. Two of my favorite local sites are:
Xeriscape demonstration garden at Cuyamaca College (www.thegarden.org/) that has some great links (their spring garden festival is coming up on May 15),
Las Pilitas Nursery (www.laspilitas.com/nurseries/escondido.htm) has great articles about reestablishing native landscapes, soil types, mulches, soil microbes, etc.
This one isn’t local, but it’s well worth visiting: High Country Gardens, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, www.highcountrygardens.com). They carry native grass lawns that might be worth a try in San Diego. And while you’re at it, take a look at the University of Georgia Agricultural and Environmental Sciences xeriscape web page at www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/B1073.htm. Although it’s a different climate, the principals are the same.

Shopping for plants is great fun. Good nurseries to try are Las Pilitas in Escondido, Walter Andersons, Mission Hills Nursery, City Farmers on Euclid, and Cuyamaca College. The standards such as Home Depot and Armstrong Garden Centers carry drought-tolerant and native species, if you know what you’re looking for.

See you in the garden!

Lyn Olsson