Summer 2006

Table of Contents

Penstemon - Jim Cummins photo

Take it easy – on yourself and the earth

Summertime.
And the livin’ is easy.

Unless you’re literally carrying the water for thirsty plants in your yard during these hottest, driest months of the year.

And then trimming and mowing and weeding to keep that constantly watered plant growth in check.

There’s got to be a better way to maintain your Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary and still have time to relax and watch the birds and other wildlife your place attracts.

There is a better way, not only for you but also for the earth itself.

Low-maintenance, sustainable landscaping uses carefully chosen native and other drought-tolerant plants that, once established, require less water and less overall care. Some call it “xeriscaping” (pronounced “zeer-i-scape-ing”) from the Greek word “xeros” for dry. Others call it “stewardship gardening,” as in being stewards of natural resources, including water.

Less water used on your lawn and garden ultimately means more water for other uses, from aquifer recharge to fish and wildlife needs.

By definition, native plants manage to thrive on local precipitation and are used by local wildlife for food and cover. So they’re a natural for a sustainable, wildlife-attracting landscape.

Many other low-water use plants that are adaptable to local soil conditions and climate are also well-used by wildlife.

Standard bluegrass lawns are water hogs, at least if you insist on keeping them bright green throughout the summer. Consider cutting back on the watering, even letting some of it go dormant as grasses are meant to do naturally.

You could also convert some lawn space that does not have foot traffic to bunch grasses or ground cover. Use native, drought-tolerant bunchgrasses like Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass or Great Basin wild rye, but keep in mind they grow in bunches, not sod-forming networks of roots or rhizomes like bluegrass, so they’re not for walking on.

Ground covers and small, creeping shrubs that require little maintenance can fill in some of that non-foot-traffic lawn space, including:

• Bunchberry (Cornus Canadensis)
• Kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
• Oregon grape, low or creeping (Mahonia nervosa or repens)
• Germander (Teucrium chmaedrys)
• Salal (Gautheria shallon)

Perennial flower beds can be just as colorful throughout the growing season as thirstier annuals with arrangements of native or drought-tolerant species like:

• Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)
• Bee balm (Monarda didyma)
• Bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
• Coral bells (Heuchera saguinea)
• Daylilies (Hemerocallus spp.)
• Iris (Iris spp.)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Nodding onion (Allium cernum)
• Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacia)
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)
• Sedum or stonecrop (Sedum spp.)
• Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
• Columbine (Aquilegia spp.)
• Yarrow (Achillea spp.)

Small to large shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen, that are relatively low-maintenance once established and add an important layer in the landscape for wildlife, include:

• American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum)
• Basin big sage (Artemisia tridentate)
• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
• Currant (Ribes aureum or sanguineum)
• Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea or racemosa)
• Firethorn (Pyrancantha coccinia)
• Flowering plum (Prunus cisteria)
• Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii)
• Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus or opulifolius)
• Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)
• Oregon grape, tall (Mahonia aquifolium)
• Red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
• Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
• Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
• Sumac (Rhus glabra)
• Western Sandcherry (Prunus bessyi)
• Wild rose (Rosa spp.)

Trees that tend to do well without a lot of attention include:

• Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
• Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens)
• Mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)
• Mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)
• Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
• Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum)
• Vine maple (Acer circinatum)
• Pine (Pinus spp.)

Although it may be too warm and dry now to plant new stock, it’s a great time to visit arboretums and nurseries to look at these and other plants and to find a supplier so you’re ready to plant this fall.

An increasing number of nurseries across the state are including native and drought-tolerant plant species in their sales stock, and the more gardeners ask for them, the more they’ll provide.

Some nurseries specialize in these plants and can be found through the Washington Native Plant Society or Washington State University Extension.