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JUNE 1.2007
justput|57
Sustainable Gardening
Dan shows growers how to maintain
without being a drain
I
t’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of
watching my garden hit its second year. I am
having so much fun watching all the tiny
plants 1 put in last year really start to fluff up
and start looking like, well, a real garden. My
vision of having a beautiful garden using less water,
less chemicals and less time to maintain it is start
ing to come into its own. When I started planting
last year, I wanted to have something blooming
almost all the time, and when the plants weren’t in
bloom, they had to look good, too. As you have
probably put together in the past year or so, 1 am
not the kind of gardener who tries to save every
thing. If it doesn’t cut it, it’s gone.
I won’t call myself a hardcore environmentalist,
but I am not the kind of person who will water a lawn
all summer to keep it green. I am all for people
making wise planting choices because every little bit
can help. For instance, why plant a tree from an area
with summer rainfall, like a red maple, and have to
water it all summer or have it think it’s autumn in the
beginning of August? I would love to see more trees
being planted around Portland that are adapted to
our climate—one without summer water.
There are so many great plants out there that
thrive here and look great all summer with very
little, if any, extra summer watering. I personally
have taken it to one extreme and planted cacti and
succulents, which I realize isn’t everyone’s taste. But
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Get Dirty with Dan
BY DAN YOUNG
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cobalt blue flowers. It grows fast— really fast—so
stand back. It takes to tip pruning well to help
control its size.
• Ozothamnus “Silver Jubilee”: This is anoth
er plant that I can’t live without. It has a soft, silver
texture that combines so well with so many other
plants. In May, dusty rosebuds open up to small
white flowers in clusters. It can easily be kept
pruned to 4 or so feet tall and wide.
• Arctostaphylos “Louis Edmonds”: Of all
the dozen or so manzanitas I planted last year, this
guy has really stolen my heart. Soft, gray leaves
are held on dark, reddish-brown, smooth stems.
Its small, early blooming flowers are a first stop for
hummingbirds.
• Antacanthus wrightii:
There is one Texas native
I can’t stand, and 1 think you
might have an idea who I’m
talking about, but this one I
really like. A new addition
to my .garden, this one has
really pleased me. This
woody perennial grows to
about 3 feet tall and wide
and in late summer is cov
ered in red-orange trumpet
shaped flowers. Full sun,
please.
• Salvia x jamensis
“Sierra San Antonio”: This
perennial salvia just loves to
bloom, from June until frost.
There is never a shortage of
its cute salmon and soft
yellow flowers.
• Erodium chrysan-
thum: I never would have
thought at first glance that
I would like this plant, but
Build a low-maintenance relationship with the Ceanothus "Dark Star."
1 tried it anyway, and it
I haven’t forgotten about the pretty things, too.
made my list, right? A ferny ball of foliage is the
I have helped out a few of my friends with planting
perfect complement to its pale yellow flowers,
their gardens, and they always ask me, “How much
which keep on coming.
do I need to water ail this?” When I tell them very
• Delosperma “Mesa Verde”: I have planted
little or just until you see it start to grow, they are
a number of ice plants through the years, but this one
always happy.
is my favorite. Inch-wide apricot flowers poke up
I’m making up my own version of a sustainable
from its oh-so-squeezable leaves from March well
(everyone’s favorite word) landscape, which doesn’t
into the fall. In 2006, the last flower opened Dec. I,
include planting only natives and a vegetable
which I thought was a bit strange, but bcxisted its
garden. Here is a list of some of favorite plants that
cred in my low-maintenance garden.
do great in Portland with only what mother nature
To reach D1RTY D an , who will answer any and all of
gives them.
• Ceanothus “Dark Star”: For the month of your gardening questions, simply e-mail
dirtydthegardeneii&yahoo.com.
April, this 8-foot hy 8-foot shrub covers itself with
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