Garden smart: Harvest rain and pick right plants
I must admit that despite the naysayers, I prefer to focus on what we as gardeners can do during this extended drought to have healthy sustainable gardens. So I was not surprised to hear that garden design firms like Fockele Garden Co., based in Gainesville, have been installing drought-tolerant landscapes for the past five years. This includes soil preparation and careful plant selection. They have also installed rainwater harvesting systems that can be used to irrigate the gardens they design and plant. Rainwater harvesting is not a new concept. Historically, people in dry climates have been collecting water in buckets, barrels and cisterns for years. Given our extended drought and the forecast for the future, Georgia gardeners need to re-evaluate their approach to gardening, which includes not only cultural techniques but the plants we grow and the best use of our precious water. After talking with landscape designer Julie Evans of Fockele Garden, I am excited about the possibilities of using a cistern in my own garden. For me, it seems like a good investment, since I plan to garden for many years. Typically, cisterns are large-capacity containers or storage tanks for holding rainwater (or water that is trucked in) that comes off the roof. They can be above or below ground and are made out of many different materials including, but not limited to, high-density food-grade polyethylene, fiberglass, concrete and stainless steel. For one client, Fockele put in a rainwater harvesting system that has the capacity to collect 2,400 gallons of water, (two 1,200 gallons tanks above ground). For rain harvesting, all the downspouts flow into the tanks, which are located downhill from the house and screened off from view with a wooden fence. The water for the backyard, where the tanks are located, is gravity feed. A pump is used to move water to the front yard as needed. The tanks all have overflow valves if they get too full.
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Attracting Wildlife to your Yard
Observing wildlife, such as a doe and her fawn sipping from your pond, a scolding squirrel gathering acorns, or the frogs, butterflies, birds and other animals going about their daily business, can be fun, interesting and relaxing.
While it’s true that we rarely do wildlife a service by feeding them from our cupboards, by using the following wildlife attraction and sustainability tips, you can feel good knowing that you are giving back to wildlife some of its lost ecosystem, especially if you live in an urban or residentially developed area.
You will also be creating an environmentally friendly landscape as well because what is good for the animals is also good for the environment.
In the words of Aldo Leopold, the “father of conservation: There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” If you are of the latter inclination, the following tips from the National Wildlife Federation are for you.
Feeding Wildlife
Provide native plants that are a natural part of animals’ diets. Going native with your landscape also benefits the environment because native plants are adapted to their locations and thus require little maintenance.
Here are a few examples:
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Southeast: The quaking aspen tree is enjoyed by many animals. Deer and moose enjoy the twigs and foliage. Beavers, rabbits, and other mammals eat the bark; foliage and buds, while grouse and quail feed on the winter buds.
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Pacific Northwest: The Western serviceberry is a pretty shrub whose berries are a favorite fruit of squirrels, songbirds and bears. The foliage is enjoyed by deer.
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Northeast: Cardinal flowers, native to the Northeast region are a favorite of hummingbirds.
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Midwest: Autumn butterflies sip on the nectar of narrowleaf sunflowers.
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Southwest: Birds and small mammals rely on the red berries of the skunkbush during the winter.
Water
Much water can be saved by replacing a lawn with native plants. You can put this water to better use by providing fresh water to wildlife. Birdbaths, butterfly puddles, ponds and rain gardens will be much appreciated, especially with the planet’s climate changes affecting their supply. Water can also be collected in
rain barrels.
Shelter
Another way to be a good host to wildlife is to provide places for the animals to hide from people, predators, and inclement weather, as well as shelter for raising their babies. Here are some examples:
Native shrubs and thickets.
Dead trees (good homes as well as food sources).
Logs and rocks for good hideouts.
Birdhouses.
Bat roosting boxes.
Ponds for aquatic wildlife, including fish and amphibians.
Wildlflower meadows.
Yard Maintenance
By going green, you create healthier soil, water and air for the wildlife as well as for you and your human loved ones. Just these two practices alone will work wonders:
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Mulching (use mulches that are from sustainable forestry practices and free from pests): Reduces need for watering, provides nutrients to the soil, and reduces need for fertilizer.
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Reducing lawn areas: Besides the fact that most lawns are maintained with chemicals and green house gas producing, powered lawnmowers, a lawn provides little value to wildlife. By replacing a grass lawn with native wildflowers, bushes, and trees, you can provide the food, shelter, and cover that help to maintain healthy, natural ecosystems for the wildlife that you enjoy.
Landscaping Ideas
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Growing edible ornamental plants
You don’t have to spend much time around me to know that I love food. I like to talk about it, prepare it and eat it. Although I grow vegetables and herbs for cooking I don’t grow any fruit trees. So it didn’t take more than a mention by a friend that I might want to write about someone he met who was growing unusual fruiting shrubs and trees. What could be better than ornamental plants that are also edible? Over the past seven years Robert Hamilton of East Atlanta has become obsessed with acquiring, growing and personally tasting many different types of fruits (of both shrubs and trees) including Jujube, pineapple guava, pomegranate, pawpaw, hardy kiwi , Che and almonds. When I asked Robert how he got so interested in these exotic (and native) fruits and nuts he said he doesn’t like working in the yard unless it ” puts food on the table.” He also likes to experiment with different tastes and is a member of North American Fruit Tree Explorers, nafex.com which is “dedicated to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of superior varieties of fruits and nuts.
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Growing exotic fruits and nuts
You don’t have to spend much time around me to know that I love food. I like to talk about it, prepare it and eat it. Although I grow vegetables and herbs for cooking I don’t grow any fruit trees. So it didn’t take more than a mention by a friend that I might want to write about someone he met who was growing unusual fruiting shrubs and trees. What could be better than ornamental plants that are also edible? Over the past seven years Robert Hamilton of East Atlanta has become obsessed with acquiring, growing and personally tasting many different types of fruits (of both shrubs and trees) including Jujube, pineapple guava, pomegranate, pawpaw, hardy kiwi , Che and almonds. When I asked Robert how he got so interested in these exotic (and native) fruits and nuts he said he doesn’t like working in the yard unless it ” puts food on the table.” He also likes to experiment with different tastes and is a member of North American Fruit Tree Explorers, nafex.com which is “dedicated to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of superior varieties of fruits and nuts. When I visited Robert in his living laboratory at the end of September I was not to be disappointed. My first tasting was of a jujube, Ziziphus jujuba. Although I never developed a taste for the candy often sold at movie theaters that is made from the plant, the fresh fruit was delicious. To me it was similar to an apple, but smaller and more crunchy.
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Watering garden during ban requires creativity
Last Friday, when Georgia announced a ban on outside watering of gardens and lawns for the northern half of the state, a collective sigh was heard from gardeners, nurseries and plant lovers. But gardeners are an optimistic group and ideas began to circulate quickly about ways to collect water from other sources that can be used to keep your plants alive. There are lots of untapped sources for water right in your own home or backyard. Gray water, collected from baths, rinsing foods, washers and dishwashing is a great way to recycle and keep your plants watered too. Even if it has dilute amounts of soap, gray water will not harm your plants, but you don’t want to use any water that has other cleaning fluids or chemicals in it.
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