Summer: The Time for Garden Planning

Summer is an excellent time for garden planning

Summer
time and the livin’ is easy.  If you
garden with California native plants, garden chores are minimal now, leaving
plenty of time for pure enjoyment. 
Summer is also an excellent time to evaluate and to plan ahead for the
next growing season.   So grab your
favorite summer beverage and your garden notebook, relax in a comfortable
garden chair, and plan to make your garden even better in the coming year.

Start
by giving your garden a critical look.  Are there specific
areas on which you want to focus in 2015-16?  Note that down. Are you replacing your lawn
(or decreasing its size)?  Have plants succumbed
to the drought and need replacing?  Are
there plants you dislike (for whatever reason) and need to remove?    Are some plants too big for their area?   

Focusing
on specific plants/parts of the garden is a good way to begin your yearly
planning.  It makes planning more
manageable and suggests actions you can take to prepare.  For example, you can save water by not
watering plants slated for removal.

Walk
around the entire garden,
looking
closely at individual plants. 
Are there plants that are/have been sickly or suffering from pests and
diseases? You might want to look for more robust alternatives.  Are there diseased or dangerous limbs that
require immediate removal and disposal? If so, sterilize your pruners/pruning
saw and get to work.  Diseased or
hazardous limbs call for immediate action.

Look
critically at the hardscape (the non-living elements of the garden). Are paths and walkways located in
the most logical places? Do you need better access to garden beds or other
parts of the garden?  Are paths/walkways
wide and stable enough to accommodate the people/equipment that routinely pass
over them (trash barrels; garden carts; etc.).  
Are paths/walkways safe to use?  
Do they add to the beauty of the garden?

Look
critically at the amount of shade your garden provides.  Summers (even winters) will be hotter in the
future.  Are there shady places for
outdoor seating and dining?  Would a
screen, patio or awning make your house and garden cooler?   Shade should be a priority for at least
parts of your yard.  Consider hardscape
options as well as shade trees, vines on trellises, vine-covered arbors, etc.

Do
you have a water feature in your garden? 
Would you like one?  Water
features can be small and water-wise (recycling water).  The sound of moving water is cooling and
birds/insects can drink at many types of water features.  

Consider
ways to make your garden more water-wise.  Review or
determine your water goals for the garden (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/02/designing-your-new-california-garden-9.html).
 Consider ways to make better use of precious
precipitation and irrigation water (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/02/harvesting-rain-introduction.html) 

Review
the garden photos
you’ve
taken through the year. (note: if you haven’t taken occasional/monthly
photos of your garden, now is a good time to start).  Is there something of interest (flowers; fruit;
foliage) at all times of the year?  Are
there enough flowering plants to supply pollinators from March to October?   Are cut
flowers available at times you need them?

Summer is a great time to look critically at your garden

Consider
the views from common vistas.  Take a critical look at the aesthetic aspects
of your garden.  Do you like the views
from common vistas (like your front walkway, back porch or living room window)?   What
don’t you like?  Can you hide an
unattractive utility area or air conditioner? 
Does the design appear unbalanced? 
Lack a focal point?   For more
design ideas review our posts on creating a design plan:

• http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/06/designing-your-new-california-garden-11.html




• http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/07/designing-your-new-california-garden-11.html
  and




• http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/08/designing-your-new-california-garden-11.html
  

Consider
the useful aspects of your plants.
 Growing edibles (including native
edibles) is gaining popularity and many gardeners raise at least some edible
plants. But the choice is yours.  Does
your garden produce the right amount of edibles (fruits & berries;
vegetables; seeds; spices/teas)?   Does
the garden provide enough materials for favorite garden crafts like potpourri
or soap-making, paper-making, pressed flower crafts, natural dyeing?   

Think
about the visitors to your garden.  Do people love to visit your garden?  What do people like most?   Are there changes that would improve their
garden experience (more/more comfortable seating; shade; tables for food/drink,
etc.)?

Does
your garden smell wonderful?  However you define ‘wonderful’, scent can be
an important addition to a garden.  Would
your garden be more interesting with more scented flowers or foliage?

Consider
signage for your front yard.
You might be surprised at the number of  people who walk past your yard every day.   Front
yards can be wonderful educational venues. 
Let passersby know that your front yard is water-wise and
life-friendly.  Consider small signs with
the names of some of the more interesting plants.  

Inexpensive
sign holders are available from Gemplers (http://www.gemplers.com/product/G49600/Galvanized-Sign-Holder-18-Stake-5x4?pfx=OAWP)
or Westhort (http://www.westhort.com/store/pc/Sign-Holders-c23.htm?pageStyle=h&ProdSort=19&page=4&idCategory=23&SFID=&SFNAME=&SFVID=&SFVALUE=&SFCount=-1&viewAll=yes
)  You simply design & print out your
sign, laminate it and insert it in the holder.  
Or purchase a native plant sign from the California Native Plant
Society’s on-line store: http://store.cnps.org/.

Watch
the birds, butterflies and other pollinators visiting your garden.  Is there enough for them to eat?  Is water regularly available?  If not, plan to improve that in the next
year.  Are there specific birds or insects
you’d like to attract to your garden?  
Summer is a wonderful time to learn more about their needs.  Spend some time on the internet or at the
(air conditioned) library; find out what your favorite creatures need to make their
home in your garden.

Register
your habitat garden.  Do you provide habitat for birds, butterflies,
Monarch butterflies or pollinators?  Now
is a great time to register your garden as a habitat garden.  Here are some useful websites:

• http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife.aspx




• http://nababutterfly.com/butterfly-garden-certification-program/




• http://www.xerces.org/million-pollinator-garden-challenge/




• http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/certify.html

 

Design
new/renewed areas (if any).  If you’re new to the design process we
recommend our series ‘Designing Your New California Garden’ : http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/07/designing-your-new-california-garden-1.html
   Designing a new garden area can be fun,
creative and satisfying.  If designing’s
not your cup of tea, now is a good time to find a garden designer who will help
bring your ideas to fruition.

Order
seeds and (especially) bulbs.  As native plant gardening becomes more
popular, some seeds and bulbs disappear quickly from seed and bulb sources.   For a list of California native seed, plant
and bulb sources, see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/southern-california-native-plant-seed-sources-1213.

If you don’t already
have them, start a Garden Notebook and
personal Garden Calendar.   Note when seeds germinate, plants flower and
fruits ripen.  Jot down ideas for future
projects.  Paste in pictures of
inspirational gardens and luscious plants.  
Note what works and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.  A Garden Notebook keeps all the things you
need in one place: and there’s something satisfying about that!

 

 

 

We
welcome your comments (below).  You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com