You don’t have to live in a witch’s cottage to grow a garden hospitable to local wildlife. Whether big or small, your humble courtyard or patio can be teeming with life in a single season. Once you’ve created your backyard conservatory, you can have it certified by the National Wildlife Foundation (NWF) and receive a very official-looking plaque to display in your garden for all your new squirrelly friends to see.
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Anyone who has attempted to grow a garden in areas where extreme temperatures are common can tell you it’s no easy feat. If you live in a drier part of the country, you might feel limited to only a few weedy greens than can tolerate severe climates. But a drought-proof garden does not have to be a dull one! If you are looking to conserve water but you would still like to have a beautiful and colorful-drenched landscape, here are 5 must-haves.
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Everyone knows that a clean, well-maintained landscape takes a great deal of work. There are always some areas that need a little more care than others: sun-drenched spots, thirsty dry patches, slopes and uneven terrain, and deep shade to name just a few. All of these things can easily take the fun out of gardening, but luckily there’s an elegant and natural solution – Growing groundcovers.
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Trees, especially evergreens make great privacy fences. There are a few varieties that really stand out when you think about privacy fences–They each have their own list of benefits and faults.
Arborvitae or Thuja varieties like “Green Giant” and “Steeplechase” are the fastest growing conifers, growing 3 to 5 feet in one year. They are incredibly dense, require very little maintenance, and give your garden that very desirable elegant evergreen look at a relatively low cost. And, they are hardy to a wide range of climates. Thujas are very symmetrical and require no pruning—they may be pruned for hedging or topiary designs, but are beautiful if untouched.
Hemlocks, very popular in Canada and Northern USA, are the most cold-hardy of the privacy trees, surviving well into the arctic. They do not tolerate warmer climates well, and they are vulnerable to a few pests. However, they are excellent privacy trees with distinct foliage and a long tradition of use in landscaping. And of course, the ever-popular southern alternative, the Leyland Cypress, which stays tough in the hottest and most humid regions of the country.
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Bulbs should be firm and never mushy or rotten—small amounts of surface mold should be okay. If only a small part of the bulb seems to be mushy, try slicing off that part with a knife and stick it in the ground anyway. It’s better to give it a fighting chance than to just assume it’s dead and throw it away. Even chancy plants can live a healthy life if you’re diligent.
Bulbs that have already sprouted will be vulnerable during the winter, so make sure your bulbs have as little new growth as possible. Larger flower bulbs, like tulips, produce bigger plants and tend to come up later in the season than plants from smaller bulbs. Plants with smaller bulbs, like crocus, come up much earlier.
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If you don’t feel like using chemicals in your garden, you can control Japanese beetles naturally. There is the old standby, knocking them into a bucket of soapy water with a stick. They will be unable to fly out of the soapy water and will drown eventually. Usually the little holes that insects use to breath, called spiracles, are too small for water to enter, but the soap fixes that problem. This procedure works best during the cooler parts of the day when the beetles are less likely to fly away from the plants.
A naturally occurring bacteria called Milky Spore kills Japanese beetle grubs which feed underground on grass and plant roots (ha ha, they’re getting you from the ground up). It is safe for beneficial insects, pets, and children. The bacteria spreads slowly through the soil, killing beetle larvae for many years. Milky Spore is sold as a dust which may be called Doom, Grub Attack, or Grub Killer. It is more effective in warmer areas of the country where the soil stays warm most of the summer (USDA Hardiness zones 6-10).
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