WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
HERMISTON HERALD/EAST OREGONIAN • PAGE 3
SPRING HOME & GARDEN
WATER WOES? GO XERIC!
By RENEE STRUTHERS
Staff Writer
Spring is here and with it
thoughts of gardening. Now
that the sun is out, many home-
owners have broken out the
garden tools and are busily
sprucing up yards and digging
out vegetable beds in anticipa-
tion of new plantings.
After last summer’s brutal
heat wave and amidst rising
municipal water rates, some
people may be searching for
alternatives to thirsty Kentucky
bluegrass lawns. There are
lawn alternatives such as buf-
falo grass that are low-care and
use much less water.
Another option is xeriscap-
ing, planting drought-tolerant
natives that bring beauty and di-
versity to our local landscapes
while drastically cutting the
amount of irrigating
needed to keep plants
happy and healthy.
Especially on the
scorching south and
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west sides of homes
and businesses, or in http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/mg
those pesky “inferno
strips” between the sidewalk
and the street, xeriscaping can
STAFF PHOTO BY RENEE STRUTHERS
save you a bundle in the long
run for a modest outlay of time Dee Armstrong, garden lead at D&B Supply in Pendleton, shows some
of the drought-tolerant perennials available in their garden center.
and money.
First, getting rid of even part
of a traditional lawn means less — and it takes forever for them terest and structure. There are
mowing, fertilizing, watering to grow big enough to provide many natives that are well
and weeding. Second, replac- shade. When considering trees adapted to hot dry climates.
ing lawn grass with native for your property, think about Many varieties of sage exist
wildÀ owers, grasses and trees how big the tree will be at full that are beautiful and hardy in
means local birds and polli- growth and take into consider- Eastern Oregon conditions, and
nators have a ready source of ation the safest distance from shrubs like mountain mahoga-
food while you enjoy the free your home or outbuildings, and ny, mockorange and Oregon
show.
any overhead power and utility grape are water-wise as well.
Trees such as mountain ash, lines. No one wants to plant a Or plant fruiting shrubs like
serviceberry and hackberry tree only to have to cut it down currant and gooseberry, or pru-
provide shade in the summer 10 years later because it’s drop- terberry, a cross of the two, and
and fruit for birds all winter in ping branches on your roof, or make some jelly to enjoy over
smaller yards. Maple, walnut the power company has threat- the winter months. Any berries
and oak are champion shade ened to “prune” it for you to left on the bushes will be a wel-
trees with lower water require- keep it out of their lines.
come treat for overwintering
ments, but need a lot more room
Shrubs provide vertical in- birds.
CONTACT OSU EXTENSION
MASTER GARDENERS
W HEN E VERY
D ROP C OUNTS
Irrigation Specialists has served the Oregon and Washington markets
since 1970 - over 45 years of quality service and support.
STAFF PHOTO BY RENEE STRUTHERS
Silver thyme is a great drought-tolerant ground cover, and bees love
it.
There are many À owering
perennials that will brighten
up your yard year after year
and bring pollinators by the
hundreds. Herbs like oregano,
thyme, bee balm and lavender
are honeybee favorites. Main-
stays such as agastache and
penstemon will bring hum-
mingbirds as well — and plant
breeders continue to create
new varieties in a rainbow of
colors to suit every taste. And
if you’re looking for something
to twine around a pergola or
along a fence, hardy clema-
tis and wisteria are available
in various shades, and native
grape varieties thrive in less-
than-perfect conditions once
established.
Or try succulents for your
hottest, driest areas.
“Euphorbia, sedums and
other succulents are drought
tolerant and really take a beat-
ing in the heat” while coming
through with À ying colors, says
Dee Armstrong, garden lead
for D&B Supply’s garden cen-
ter in Pendleton and former op-
erator of Blueberry Hill Nurs-
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