4 Things You Should Do for a Healthier Landscape
It’s worth rethinking some common planting practices and instead following nature’s lead
Benjamin Vogt
February 22, 2017
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our urban lives -- only 1% remains, making it more threatened than the Amazon rainforest yet also as effective at sequestering CO2. I own Monarch Gardens LLC, a prairie garden design firm based in Nebraska and working with clients across the Midwest. I also speak nationally on native plants, sustainable design, and landscape ethics while hosting online classes. I'm the author of A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. In the coming years we want to restore a 40+ acre prairie and host an artist residency program.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our... More
For decades we’ve had landscape principles in place that might hinder us from creating thriving, sustainable landscapes. I’ve covered some of these principles, or rules, in the past, but there are more to consider amending as a new garden season is upon us.
Here are some ways that we can rethink some gardening practices so that our outdoor spaces can be what we’ve always imagined them to be — places where wildlife and people connect and grow together.
Here are some ways that we can rethink some gardening practices so that our outdoor spaces can be what we’ve always imagined them to be — places where wildlife and people connect and grow together.
1. Plant shorter flowers, grasses and ground covers among larger ones to mimic nature. There’s a tendency to think of garden borders and beds as tiered levels: short up front or on the outside edge, medium-height stuff in the middle and tall plants in the back. But our landscapes don’t need to look like bleachers at high school football games.
Go ahead and plant shorter things among taller stuff. Grow a sedge (Carex sp.) or tickseed (Coreopsis sp.) that reaches 1 foot to 2 feet tall among some 3- to 4-foot-tall little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), meadow blazingstar (Liatris ligulistylis), stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) or Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum). The shorter plants will also act like a living mulch, mimicking what nature does by letting plants duke it out to find some equilibrium.
Go ahead and plant shorter things among taller stuff. Grow a sedge (Carex sp.) or tickseed (Coreopsis sp.) that reaches 1 foot to 2 feet tall among some 3- to 4-foot-tall little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), meadow blazingstar (Liatris ligulistylis), stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) or Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum). The shorter plants will also act like a living mulch, mimicking what nature does by letting plants duke it out to find some equilibrium.
2. Drop the mulched tree circles. This can’t be taken as a blanket statement. For newly planted trees, it’s been proven that a circle of mulch extending out to at least the tree’s drip line, which is how far the tree’s branches extend out, is beneficial for establishment (which can be a few years, depending on size). If you hire someone to mow your lawn, a mulch circle might dissuade anyone from getting anywhere near the tree trunk and causing damage.
I’m an advocate for removing the mulch circle as soon as possible. Trees growing among grasses or a perennial bed just seem more park-like, even natural, and you won’t have to keep applying new mulch, because the plants themselves are a living mulch.
For trees that love shady, cool root zones, like birches, consider letting the lawn grow taller, or plant perennials and shrubs in the drip zone and just beyond where feeder roots extend. Most tree feeder roots, the nonwoody roots that absorb water and nutrients, tend to be in about the top 12 inches of soil, so choosing plants whose roots can grow deeper will ensure that both trees and perennials get what they need, all while taking resources that weeds would otherwise need to get established. There are also plenty of perennials, grasses and sedges that can grow in the dry shade of mature trees.
I’m an advocate for removing the mulch circle as soon as possible. Trees growing among grasses or a perennial bed just seem more park-like, even natural, and you won’t have to keep applying new mulch, because the plants themselves are a living mulch.
For trees that love shady, cool root zones, like birches, consider letting the lawn grow taller, or plant perennials and shrubs in the drip zone and just beyond where feeder roots extend. Most tree feeder roots, the nonwoody roots that absorb water and nutrients, tend to be in about the top 12 inches of soil, so choosing plants whose roots can grow deeper will ensure that both trees and perennials get what they need, all while taking resources that weeds would otherwise need to get established. There are also plenty of perennials, grasses and sedges that can grow in the dry shade of mature trees.
3. Plant small perennials and trees. We are so excited when we buy new plants. We want them to be big as soon as possible — lush, flowery, showy and mature. But that takes time, just like it takes time for us to grow up. A bigger plant in a bigger pot still has to establish, and that might take as long, or even longer, than a smaller plant, which won’t be in nearly as much shock as a more mature plant when you dig it in. Smaller plants are also cheaper, so you can buy more for faster cover. Think about using plants in 3-inch pots or trays of plugs if you’re planting large amounts of grasses.
4. Ignore plant tags. Well, maybe not totally, but don’t let the plant tag at the nursery be your only, or even primary, way to judge how the plant will do in your garden. You have to know your soil, drainage and light; you also need to know the plant’s requirements. Do those requirements and your site’s conditions line up? Plant tags can’t tell you that.
Whip out the cellphone, tablet or desktop computer and research online — get information from other growers, wholesalers, nurseries, botanical gardens and regular folks like you. How is the plant performing for others, especially others who live in a similar climate, or better yet, nearby or in your eco-region? Pay special attention to those who’ve grown the plant for many years — often, the newest thing for sale at nurseries hasn’t been thoroughly tested or tested in a diversity of regions.
This is exactly why native plants are so wonderful, especially if grown from locally sourced seed. They’re already adapted to your climate, and all you have to do is match them to your site conditions.
More
Make Sure You Read This Before Buying New Plants
10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
Whip out the cellphone, tablet or desktop computer and research online — get information from other growers, wholesalers, nurseries, botanical gardens and regular folks like you. How is the plant performing for others, especially others who live in a similar climate, or better yet, nearby or in your eco-region? Pay special attention to those who’ve grown the plant for many years — often, the newest thing for sale at nurseries hasn’t been thoroughly tested or tested in a diversity of regions.
This is exactly why native plants are so wonderful, especially if grown from locally sourced seed. They’re already adapted to your climate, and all you have to do is match them to your site conditions.
More
Make Sure You Read This Before Buying New Plants
10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
What are you working on?
Related Products
Related Stories
Landscape Design
What Will We Want in Our Landscapes in 2024?
Discover seven trends that landscape designers predict homeowners will be bringing into their outdoor spaces this year
Full Story
Spring Gardening
8 Tips to Get Your Early-Spring Garden Ready for the Season
Find out how to salvage plants, when to cut back damaged branches, when to mulch and more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
How to Prune Your Fruit Trees in Winter
Garden chores may slow down this season, but pruning your fruit trees now means healthier plants that will produce more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Reviewing what you grew last year now will pay off when it’s time to head outside
Full Story
Landscape Design
Pros Share Their Top Plant Picks for a Low-Maintenance Yard
Landscape pros weigh in on the plants they’d use — and ones they’d avoid — to create an easy-care garden
Full Story
Landscape Design
10 Tips for Planting a Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Landscape
Landscape pros share their advice for planning a garden that’s easy to care for
Full Story
Gardening Guides
12 Gardening Ideas You Can Count as Resolutions
See how to set up your outdoor areas for more enjoyment next year and make them a bit more earth-friendly in the process
Full Story
Holidays
Last-Minute Ideas for Attractive Winter Container Designs
Create a welcoming holiday entryway with ideas from these 9 looks
Full Story
Winter Gardening
8 Tips for Keeping Your Houseplants Healthy in Winter
Reduce watering, stop fertilizing, move them into the light and more
Full Story
Fall Gardening
7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden
Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax
Full Story
I love Piet Oudolf's stuff, but it won't suit me. I have a lot dominated with a few 100 year old specimen trees and existing traditional borders around the lot. I'm going to try New England woodland plants, because that's what my "terroir" is. (Other than Victorian Traditional).
Sigrid -- You can do an "Oudolf" in shade -- but sure, it's a little hard when incorporating into established beds. You're on your way. Experiment and thrive.
I'd think about habitat for birds, native bees and butterflies. They sure are amazing to enjoy flitting around the garden. One woman at a nursery in CA said she was going to cut back a large shrub, and while weeding and trimming other things a bird would swoop in full speed and then back out, obviously nesting. The shrub didn't get pruned. I've noticed they love thorny or tightly branced shrubs for protection. They also like shady areas to feed and messy ground areas to hunt insects.