Creating a long lasting garden

A common word in gardening this decade is ‘sustainable’; sustainable gardening is using the principles of ecological wisdom.  When planting and puttering in my garden, which is two acres planted with CA natives, Mediterranean plants close to the house and natural groomed forest beyond, I think of this. How do I also create a long lasting garden? What will happen to my garden, when I can do less for it, or …nothing.

Looking from where the house would soon stand; what we started with. Notice poison oak whips in foreground.

Oct 2000- Looking from where the house would soon stand; what we started with. Notice poison oak whips in foreground. Click to enlarge and you can see what we’re talkin’ ’bout here!

Natural and safe
The forest land here was the reason to come and we like it natural. Walking around with the real estate agent and later with our friends, we took in the scratchy oak trees, brushy to the ground snarled with what was poison oak about the base of each one. As we walked, my eyes lifted to the pines and to the mountain, giving me inspiration and courage. Russ asked, “Do you know that the branches you’re holding onto are poison oak?”  I gave him a stricken look and pushed on up the hill to scrub my hands and arms to the wrists.

Poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum   Beautiful,  idn't it?

Poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum Beautiful, ‘idn’t’ it?  –Wikicommons

For five years, while we were waiting until time to build the house, we slowly eradicated the poison oak by cutting it and spraying any new sprouts every time we saw it. Spraying with aa systemic herbicide is controversial, but practical for poison oak, when you do it responsibly, to make a large property safe to work and play in.

Poison oak spreads through underground root systems, surrounding each tree in a ten foot radius. It also grows in three to four foot whips uniformly, a foot or two apart, between each tree in the manzanita groves. Our method was to cut it away around each tree, burn it, and spray the next spring when we saw the sprouts, always on a windless day. After ten years, we only see a few sprouts.  If not for this maintenance, would it again take over? Probably, faster than I think.

Native landscape, thinned for fire safety. Trees and brush are thick over the fence line on left. Photo by Ken Wyatt

Groom for fire safety, while protecting trees.
When we first arrived we couldn’t see farther down than a twenty five yards down the slope, but every year we have been able to clear out around each tree, ten feet up and ten feet around, saving a few manzanitas underneath. Manzanitas are reputed to be so flammable, but after some research and reading how tests were done by the CDF, I found that they burn as fast, or slow, as scrub oak and pine. We’re talking about the difference between one and two minutes more flammable.

Clearing the thick brush opened up the views through the woodland. Photo by Ken Wyatt

Clearing the thick brush opened up the views through the woodland. Photo by Ken Wyatt

The previous owner, in order to clear the land for sale had simply bulldozed the brush down the slope, leaving huge piles of manzanita and scrub oak and poison oak. We have smoothed out most of those piles and cleared ten feet around and ten feet up into the tree, also removing dead branches. The effect will be long lasting and allows us to see the forest further down from our house, a view we love.

Three levels, from right, cultivated Mediterranean and native plants, below path, introduced natives and beyond the bench, natural

Three levels, from right, cultivated Mediterranean and native plants, below path, introduced natives and beyond the bench, natural

Save the natives; plant compatible plants along side
Close to the house we have had to clear away most of the manzanita, but I have saved a few to grow up in amongst the salvia, sulfur flowers and foothill penstamon.  Using native plants in a garden can preserve and protect natural wildlife, and reduces the amount of time and energy required to maintain a long lasting garden. Natives were here when I came and if there is a time when I can no longer do as much upkeep they will go on, providing flowers in spring and their reddish brown sinewy trunks, peeling in the fall.

Cleared buffer area, now the CA native and salvia garden, looking toward the forest

Cleared buffer area, now the CA native and salvia garden, looking toward the forest

The oaks and pines are protected from irrigation and low water needs plants only are planted underneath and then only beyond the drip lines.

Groomed meadow. Yerba Santa is trimmed, poison oak removed, deer grass added.

Groomed meadow. Yerba Santa, Eriodictyon crassifolium is trimmed, poison oak removed, deer grass added.

Protect and encourage wildlife
I don’t fertilize or spray for insects, allowing the natural process to work. I do provide water and seed or nectar to both birds and butterflies, but do so only close to the windows for my own enjoyment, knowing that the plants farther out will sustain wildlife when I don’t. Introducing additional CA natives will hopefully attract more species and are fun for me to plant and observe.

Tractor man, building a path, the lowest level we have accomplished so far. Trees are trimmed up.

Tractor Man, building a path, the lowest level we have accomplished so far. Trees are trimmed up.

Sustaining the gardeners
Building the network of paths with benches along is another way to sustain the use of the garden and provide access for when we’re older.  As we age, it will be easier to enjoy the garden safely, while getting our exercise. The paths are three to four feet wide, the width of the tractor scraper, and form large loops down the property behind the house and toward the view of the mountain to make several levels.

The tree trunk provides the back rest for this bench, where you can sit and hand water in summer.

The tree trunk provides the back rest for this bench, where you can sit and hand water in summer.

The paths wander through the trees and we have placed three benches, of the simplest kind, in different vantage points to get sun or shade or with a particular view.  The benches are of 2” thick redwood landscaping lumber, found at the lumber store for half price for being ‘weathered’.  Ask and ye shall find, I guess.

Spring. A place for resting, (collapsing), planning and daydreaming.

In the center of the garden, there is a lounge of rustic wood, cozied up with a pad, a quilt and pillows, to plop down on and rest. A small pedestal table held my book last summer and my glass of water. Sustaining, yes, and sustainable, too, as all these items were found in thrift shops, even the book, which is a collection of issues of “Garden Gate’ in a three ring binder.

Now when considering a sustainable garden, I am at peace, doing the best I can with what I learn and experience, and not worrying about tomorrow, …simply enjoying today.

Removing weedy sprouts and placing a log edging around a grassy or wildflower patch neatens, but preserves the wildness.

Note on above photo: Hopefully, this is needlegrass.  Bear clover, Chamaebatia foliolosa, is the ground cover behind, with the taller Goldenfleece, Ericameria arborescens, at right.

10 comments

  1. Gayle Madwin -

    Please don’t burn poison oak anymore, or you might end up hospitalized – or one of your neighbors might. Smoke from burning poison oak has been known to cause severe health problems even in people significantly downwind of the fire.

  2. Sue Langley -

    Luckily we have it under control now, we only see small sprouts each Spring. When we were burning it along with the two trees we had to take down to build the house, I would go in the house. We have no close neighbors! hahaha But our closest one is affected by the smoke, also retreating inside. My husband doesn’t seem to be bothered by it in any way, and I am so sensitive that I break out in hives if I touch it or it touches me.

    Right now on my FB page we’re talking about gardening accidents and injuries. Have you been affected by poison oak?

  3. Town Mouse -

    That all makes so much sense, and I’m glad you can start to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Country Mouse and I sometimes question the wisdom of people living away from cities like that, but I say to her better someone like her (and you) than some other people who do great damage to the land.

    Enjoy!

  4. MAYBELLINE -

    Holy smokes. Reading this made me itchy. My beautiful dogs come from a breeder up your way at Chinese Camp. Lovely post.

  5. Sue Langley -

    Thanks, Mouse! I just read an ad saying goats for rent. They eat poison oak, but we never had the courage to get any when we needed them. Would have been a very green thing to do!

    Welcome, Maybelline, we found our Corgi in Visalia! It must have been a lovely drive to get yours. Everyone, Hwy 49 through CA gold country is famous for it’s beauty.

  6. Desiree -

    Truly amazing what you’ve done and are continuing to do, Sue. As you’ve highlighted before, you’re being responsible custodians.

    I’m so glad you explained what poison ivy is. I knew of it, but had no clue as to what it does (or indeed, what it looks like…yes, it is deceptively pretty!). I don’t think we get it in SA.

    I had some sword ferns growing in my garden from very early on – they are exotics, here, but grew like weeds over the years. We tried to eradicate them, but as you will know, they grow from plump little underground nodes (I think that’s the term for the little fleshy ball?) – anyway, after 10 years, they still pop up. I leave them be for a while and when they look as though they are going to go ‘wild’ again, we start all over! So, my guess is your poison ivy would regenerate itself in time without your constant vigilance!

  7. Sue Langley -

    Thanks so much, Desiree, you have a wonderful garden, too, and since reading one of your posts ‘showing viewers around, I’ve been wanting to do the same here. It’s so enjoyable getting to know gardeners in far away places and delightful that we both are in a similar climate and can sometimes see the plants I grow in a garden in SA or NZ!

  8. island threads -

    Sue thanks for a lovely tour of your ground, you have had a lot of work clearing trees and brush I’m sure it was harder than my tough grass and mountains of moss, like you though I find the rewards of beautiful views and nature worth the work, Frances

  9. Tractor Man -

    I am Tractor Man and I do the bidding of Sierra Foothill Gardener. When we moved up here (paradise) from Orange County, I was amazed at the amount of stuff our ‘Head Gardener’ had accumulated in anticipation of the move. Most of it didn’t cost anything, just other peoples discards (which can be a treasure for others!). She is a frugal person and for that I’m happy and what labor I can donate to her projects I’m also happy.

  10. Nickie -

    Beautiful, Sue. You guys have done wonders with/in your foothill habitat. After two years here, I’m eyeing our Nevada City backyard and contemplating how to transform it from a St Johns Wort-infested mess to something usable and beautiful. to be continued!

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