8/12/2019 Gardening With Natives http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/gardening-with-natives 1/5 www.gardenworks.ca Gardening with Natives 1 Ga rdening with Native Plants Native plants are considered to be those found n aturally at the time of European settlement in BC. Some native plants have natural ranges that extend south into Washington and Oregon or north to The Yukon or Alaska. A few, e.g., yarrow Achillea millefolium , have ranges that extend across the U.S. or even to Europe. Pacific Northwest native plants grow under a wide range of gardening conditions. Some are good accent plants; others are ground covers. Many native plants tolerate summer drought but most of all they are adapted to local garden soils in their places of origin . Native plants have grown in our region for thousands of years. They are adapted to our regional climate wet winters and dry summery. However, most native plants benefit from regular irrigation, especially during establishment. Keep in mind that some native plants are from moist woodland or wetland habitats where drought tolerance has not developed. Some native plants are well adapted to the soils often found in gardens artless west of the Cascades. DO NOT ASSUME that all Pacific Northwest soils are alike, even in nature. furthermore, garden soil often is not 'Native' soil, since it may have been altered during construction and by gardening. In short, garden soil types and climates vary greatly, so a particular native plant may or may not be appropriate for the conditions or micro- climates in your THE GARDEN PATH Lewisia G A R D E N W O R K S P r o d u c t K n o w l e d g e M a y 2 0 1 0 V o l u m e 5 P a r t 4
Transcript
8/12/2019 Gardening With Natives
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/gardening-with-natives 1/5www.gardenworks.ca Gardening with Natives 1
Ga rdening with Native PlantsNative plants are considered to be thosefound n aturally at the time of Europeansettlement in BC. Some native plants havenatural ranges that extend south intoWashington and Oregon or north to TheYukon or Alaska. A few, e.g., yarrow
Achillea millefolium , have ranges thatextend across the U.S. or even to Europe.
Pacific Northwest native plants grow undera wide range of gardening conditions.Some are good accent plants; others areground covers. Many native plants toleratesummer drought but most of all they areadapted to local garden soils in their placesof origin .
Native plants have grown in our region forthousands of years. They are adapted to
our regional climate wet winters and drysummery. However, most native plantsbenefit from regular irrigation, especiallyduring establishment. Keep in mind thatsome native plants are from moistwoodland or wetland habitats wheredrought tolerance has not developed.Some native plants are well adapted to thesoils often found in gardens artless west of
the Cascades. DO NOT ASSUME that allPacific Northwest soils are alike, even innature. furthermore, garden soil often is not'Native' soil, since it may have been alteredduring construction and by gardening.
In short, garden soil types and climatesvary greatly, so a particular native plantmay or may not be appropriate for theconditions or micro- climates in your
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garden. As is the case in gardening in general,choosin g the RIGHT PLA NT for the RIGHTPLACE is very important for success.
Do native BC plants attract wildlife?Yes. Native plants provide habitat for birds, smallanimals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Thishabitat is important for feeding, reproduction, andprotection from the elements .
Flowering shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plantsprovide:
nectar for many types of insects and forhummingbirdsSeeds and berries nurture birds and otherwildlife.
provide nesting sites for birds, squirrels.and other creatures.
Other plants serve as hosts (food sources) for thecaterpillar stages of native butterflies, or as nectarsources for adult butterflies or other insects.
STEP 1 EXAMINE THE CONDITIONSExamine your garden conditions. Determinewhether your site is sunny, has part sun or shade,or is shady. Check the condition of the soil. Withinyour garden, you may have many different kinds ofconditions; try to match your desired plants to
individual places in your landscape. PacificNorthwest native plants are already established inbalanced, local ecosystems, so they have little orno potential to become invasive pests in our wildaid natural areas.
However, some natives can be aggressive ingarden settings. Some native plants spreadunderground, such as Oregon Grape ( Mahoniaaquifolium ), red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea ) orwild bleeding heart ( Dicentra formosa ). Othersreadily self seed, e.g., California poppy ( Escholziacalifornica ) and Douglas aster ( Aster subspicatus ).Keep these characteristics in mind when plantingthese species.
STEP 2 SELECT ACCORDINGLYSelecting native plants for your home landscape isessentially the same process you would use forselecting any garden plant. Determine the kinds of
POSSIBLE PLANT COMBINATIONS
THE WOODLAND GARDEN ; A shady spot can be enhanced with one ormore vine maples, an early-flowering largeshrub such as Indian plum, six to nine swordferns, a tall summer perennial such as goat'sbeard, some self-seeding fringe-cup, a swathof Pacific bleeding heart, a few trillium, and agroundcover of native violets.
SUNNY NATIVE MIXED BORDER Mix brightly flowering shrubs such as blue-blossom, red flowering currant, oceanspray,and mock orange, and add more color withnative iris, blue-eyed grass, quamash bulbs,and Oregon sunshine. Use a groundcover ofwild strawberry or kinnikinnick.
Cornus nuttalli (Pacific Dogwood)
A BUTTERFLY GARDE NProvide both nectar and host plants bygrowing a sunny area featuring mock orange,western azalea, and Nootka rose kinder abitter cherry tree. For added colour tryCascade penstemon, stream violet, Douglasaster, goldenrod, and a groundcover ofcoastal strawberry.
STREAMSIDE LANDSCAPEPlant some trees such as alder or westerncrabapple and some large shrubs such asred- twig dogwood. Complement them withDouglas spiraea, sword fern, inside-out flower,and native violets and iris.
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STEP 3 CARE FOR THE PLANTS
Gardeners sometimes make the mistake ofthinking that native plants can fend for them-selves in the garden; this is not true. Once theseplants are part of a tended garden, they are nolonger in a natural setting and require some careto perform their best.
Establishing native plants in a garden requires lfyou wish to use local forms, you will need toknow the origin of cultivate or plants you choose.Plant sellers often have this information. In thecase of ponderosa pine, it is particularlyimportant to use locally adapted plants, such asthe coastal form. These forms will perform betterin the wetter soils found west of the CoastalMountains than will forms native to the east sideor the Okanagan.
GOOD SOILGood soil promotes plant growth. Soil containing
adequate organic matter and nutrients will promotebetter growth of all garden plants. Soil qualities canchange dramatically, even within short distances,from clay-like, to wet soils, to sandy types
WATER YOUR PLANTS Do native BC plantsrequire less water?
Water plants during establishment. Even nativeplants require water to become established. A goodguideline is to water the natives at the same timeas the rest of your plants for the first year. After theplants are established, water perhaps once or twicea month. It may take a year for perennials and 2 to3 (or more) years for shrubs and trees to becomeestablished in your garden Again, native plants arelike other plants. Some require water year round,others cope with extremes of water and drought,while still others prefer a dry environment.
plants you are looking for. Consider your wishesand ne eds for trees, shrub s, herbaceousperennials, and ground covers. List your favoritegarden colours. Decide whether you wantdeciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs. Considerwhether you are creating a new garden, such as awoodland garden, or adding native plants to anestablished garden. lf one of your goals is to attractwildlife, choose plants to support this goal.Consider whether drought tolerance is important.
Plant breeders have developed cultivars (varieties)of many Pacific Northwest native plants. Cultivarsoffer specific plant characteristics, such as flowercolor or plant size. A note in the plant descriptionswill identify species for which cultivars might beavailable. In some cases, species native to BC arewidespread in other areas as well. Different forms
of these species are native in different areas so aparticular form might not be native to BC. Forexample, kinnikinnik ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ) isnative to many regions of the united States. Otherwidespread species include red-twig dogwood(Cornus sericea ), Oregon sunshine ( Eriophyllumlanatum ), Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ), andPonderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ).
Whi te Fawn lily Eryt hronium oreganoCourtesy Eflorabc
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The key question is, what is the plant’s naturalenviron ment, regardless o f where it comes from?
SPARE THE FERTILIZERBe sparing with fertilizer. The amount of fertilizeryou supply for other perennials and woody plantsmay be too much for native plants. for most nativeplants, fertilizer is not needed after the first
BE PATIENT. Some native plants take longer to establish thanmore traditional garden plants, as they have notbeen bred for garden conditions. Woodland plantsmay require rich, moist soil. Plants that naturallygrow in woodlands, especially in the foothills ormountains of the Coast Range or CascadeMountains, may require moist soil with high organicmatter content. An example is alumroot Heuchera
micrantha, the popular cultivar known as ‘PalacePurple’ for example, does best in moist, rich, well-drained soil. This is true of native trillium ( Trilliumovatum )
Wetland plants need special conditions. M anywetland plants need wet soil, such as a watergarden, to survive in cultivation. Others, especiallythose that grow in seasonal wetlands, such asQuamash ( Camassia sp.), yellow monkey flower(Mimulus guttatus ) and flowering Crabapple(Malus fusca ) can grow under a wide variety ofgarden conditions, so long as they do not dry outduring the winter and spring.
Are native BC plants more disease and insectresistant than ornamentals?Native plants that remain in their native locations,where they were naturalized over centuries, oftendevelop resistance to local insects and diseases.These natural defenses become insignificantthough if a native plant is put into a new setting,such as an urban garden. Native plants will thrivein your urban garden if you live in an environmentclose to their natural setting can create anenvironment similar to their natural setting.
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Qua mash Camassia lecithiniaCourtesy Eflorabc http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora/
Did y ou know kinnikinn ik is
the longest palindrome inthe botanical vocabulary?
A palindrome is a word,phrase, number or othersequence of units that canbe read the same way ineither direction
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Prep aration for thi s seminar
This seminar is scheduled for 2 nd May 2010
Gather several examples of BC and Canadian native plants. Remember the hedging cedaris derived from a BC Native!! Also choose several pots and containers, ceramic, resin, terracotta, wood etc. As BC Natives such as Lewisia often get lost in amongst the larger plants inour garden.
This will vary depending on who is presenting.Remember presentation should only be 20 minutes with time for questions following.
THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO INCLUDESeveral species of nativesSeed packs and Bulbs (if you still have some)G ARDEN W ORKS 6-8-6 All purpose fertilizer Polar and Mckinnon’ s book plants of Southern BC
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Sem inar FeedBac kTo he lp us plan for our n ext series of seminars please fill this sheet and keep this for future reference. Anycomments or concerns we should know about please forward to Head Office via fax or via email
