Time to prepare for the coming lack of rain
Though it is raining as I write this, most of us know that our total rainfall this winter has been lower than is optimal and that the various water departments around the Monterey Bay area are cautioning that we’re back in a drought situation. There may well be water restrictions in our future as a result, so it would be prudent to prepare. How, you may ask? Here are a few suggestions.
Save your newspapers. Kevin Lee Jacobs, a garden and food writer from upstate New York, discusses how he relies on layers of mulch to keep his garden beds weed-free and moist for an entire season at www.agardenforthehouse.com/2013/05/how-tosmother-weeds-with-newspaper/.
Spread the newspapers over the soil, dampen to keep them in place, then cover papers with chips or straw for a polished appearance and to hold them in place. They will suppress weeds, encourage earthworm activity, hold in moisture and add to the humus content of your soil. (Are you nervous about the chemicals used in newspaper ink? Jacobs is not, saying that his research shows that today’s newspapers are usually printed with soybased ink. You can check with your own local paper to verify this.)
Install a Drip System which wastes much less water than a conventional sprinkler system. Note that it is far easier to lay out a drip system before new growth hides the soil surface and it becomes difficult to work around your plants without damaging them. Though it is hard to imagine needing to irrigate at the moment, it won’t be long until no more rain will fall and our plants will have to rely on us to give them moisture. If you have already established a droughttolerant garden, you may no longer need to provide much supplementary water, but for gardeners who are still working toward that goal, remember that even California natives and other low-water-needs plants will have to be irrigated regularly during their first and sometimes second summers in the ground. A drip system on a timer will save you not only water but time as well, and your plants will thrive.
Plant natives! To see just how stunning many of our native plants can be, pay a visit to the California Collection at the UCSC Arboretum. It is open though visitors are asked to wear masks and to observe the CDC Covid-19 protocols. Many natives are blooming and the show will continue in the coming weeks. Note what catches your eye as you wander through the gardens so that later, you can research the mature size, bloom duration and soil preference of the plants that appeal to you. Visit the web site of Las Pilitas Nursery in Escondido www.laspilitas.com/ for abundant information on natives. And if you enjoy sharing your garden with our local fauna, the site has generous sections on natives that birds,
butterflies, beneficial insects and animals need for
food or shelter.
Add a few Mediterranean plants which can also be valuable resources for wildlife, as well as beautiful and water-saving. The UCSC Arboretum has large sections where you can see mature blooming plants to decide what will enhance your garden. Another attraction: the Australian and South African collections are
home to numerous nesting hummingbirds, especially around the big old Grevilleas with their odd but lovely flowers; if you place these plants in your own garden, you too will attract many hummingbirds.
You’ll find Mediterranean and native plants available for sale in most local nurseries. You can also buy them at Norrie’s Gift
Shop at the Arboretum with funds going to support the Arb. Order on-line at shopucscarboretum.com, and arrange curbside pickup at Norrie’s.