Lazy Landscaping
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Transcript of Lazy Landscaping
Lazy Landscaping
• Created by: University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener-Anoka County
• Eva Knudsen
What Can We Do? To Do Less
• Cultural Practices: What you do or don’t do makes a difference
• Plant Selection: the right plant for the right place and for you
• Plant Placement: What works best for you and the plant
“The gardener in him sold outto the nature-conservationist”
Visit Your Garden Regularly
Stop Treating Your Soil Like Dirt
Compost improves moisture retention and fertility of soil
Minerals 45%Air 25%Water 25%Organic matter 2-5%
Composting• Does not requires elaborate,
expensive structures
• Does not need to be turned
• Does not have to smell
• Materials do not need to be added in exact proportions
• Do not require special chemical starters or activators
Compost bins provided by Anoka County
Watering
Irrigation can lead to problems when performed incorrectly• Water early in the morning• Install a watering system
-With a timer and moisture indicator
• Use soaker hoses or drip emitters when possible
Mulch• Suppresses weed growth
• Maintains soil moisture
• Stabilizes soil temperatures
• Prevents spread of soil-borne diseases
• Prevents soil compaction
• Improves landscape appearance
• Increase soil fertility (depending on mulch used)
• Reduces bark injuries on trunks
Organic Mulch•Wood chips
• Shredded bark
• Pine needles
• Cocoa bean hulls
• Straw
• Leaves
• Grass clippings
Inorganic Mulch
• Rock
• Landscape fabric
• Newspaper
• Plastic
• Shredded Tires
Living Mulches
variegated bishop’s weed
Lamium
Woodland Phlox
Hen and Chicks
Mowing
• Leave clippings on the lawn
• Keep blade sharp
• Keep grass about 3” tall
• Low maintenance grass mixes only need to be mowed 2-4 times per year!!!!
Pesticides There is no such thing as a weed-free or
insect-free lawn
• Routine chemicals are not necessary
• Avoid broad spectrum insecticides
• Know the difference between annual and perennial weeds
• Use edging around gardens
Fertilizers
• Routine chemicals aren‘t necessary
• Know the right time to apply
• Some plants can do the job
Pruning• Prune only when necessary
• Choose plants that need minimal pruning or can be pruned at times when you are least busy
• Pruning produces tender, succulent growth, which bugs prefer Pagoda Dogwood
Cornus alternifolia
In the Garden
• Don’t walk where you plant
• Let some flowers go to seed for volunteers next season
• Leave some volunteers to create more diversity
• Let some herbs and vegetables bolt (flower)
• In fall, leave some plants and all roots in the soil
Wild ColumbineAquilegia canadensis
Bleeding HeartDicentra spectabilis
Selecting The “Right” Plant• Select plants suited to your
region, soil conditions and microclimate
• Know each plant's ultimate height and spread at maturity
• Observe plants in your area or at the arboretum
Lead PlantAmorpha canescens
Plants With Deeper Roots
LeadPlant
Big BlueStem
Liatris
LittleBlue Stem
SwitchGrass
CompassPlant
KentuckyBlueBrass
Go Native• Easier and
cheaper to maintain
• Fewer pest and disease problems
• Require less supplemental watering
Pearly EverlastingAnaphalis margaritacea
American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)
Use Grasses
Little bluestem Andropogon (Schizachyrium)scoparius
•Bottlebrush•Hystrix patula
•Prairie Dropseed •Sporobolus heterolepis
•Indian Grass •Sorghastrum nutans
Dixie skipperAtrytonopsis hianna
What Trees and Shrubs Can Do For You
• Improve air, thermal and acoustic environments
• Enhance occupant comfort and health
• Contribute to overall quality of life
Kentucky Coffee Tree Gymnocladus dioica
• Kentucky Coffee tree
American Linden or Basswood Tilia americana
TreesWhat you should know• Mature size• Soil Preferences• What is going to happen
under them?• What is going to happen
around them?• Particular habits• The species and cultivars
TreesWhat you should know• Mature size• Soil Preferences• What is going to happen
under them?• What is going to happen
around them?• Particular habits• The species and cultivars
“Messy” Trees• Oaks• Willows• Catalpa• Maples• Crabapples• Mulberry• Fruit trees
Catalpa Catalpa speciosaCommon Mulberry
Morus alba tatarica)
Weeping Willow Salix alba tristis
“Cleaner” Trees• Firs• Blue Beech• Honeylocust
(thornless or fruitless)
• Tamarack• Crabapple
(fruitless or persistent fruit)
• Ironwood• Spruce• Pine• Cottonwood
(cottonless)• Japanese tree
lilac• Littleleaf
linden• Arborvitae
Tamarack Larix laricina
Small TreesPrairifire Crabapple(Malus sp. "Prairifire")
ServiceberriesAmelanchier spp.
Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata
Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata
American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana
Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis
Evergreens • Exposer to wind on hilltops
or on western walls can cause stress by cold and drought
• Position as winter protection for delicate plants or wind breaks
• Know the growth habit of the cultivar (varieties)
• Know the mature size of plant
Shrubs
Things you should know:• Mature size
• If they “sucker”
• When they bloom
• Soil preferences
• Light preferences
• The species and cultivar
• Lilac Miss KimSyringa patula ‘Miss Kim’
•False spirea •Sorbaria sorbifolia
Common Lilac. Syringa vulgaris
Site Conditions That Can Stress Plants
• Winter winds
• Hot, dry, southern exposures
• Roads, driveways, or
sidewalks
• Foot traffic
• Other plants
Under Trees
Under Trees
• Reduced light levels
• Limited moisture and nutrient availability
• Tree species with finer foliage and more open canopies let more light through than more densely foliaged species
• Use perennial species to keep soil disturbance to a minimum
• Use smaller transplants so holes don’t need to be large
Group Plants According To Their Water
NeedsHydrozone
Group Plants by Their
Maintenance Needs
Blanket Flower Gaillardia Grandiflora
Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides
Group Plants According to Light Needs
•Wild ginger•Asarum canadense
Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
Prickly Pear Cactusopuntia cymochila
Yucca spp.
Containers• May need more
watering
• Use polymers to help hold water
• Slow release fertilizer pellets or potting soil containing fertilizer helps
Make Things Easy• Place gardens according to your
needs• Plant only what you can maintain• When do you go on vacation?
Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle
Make Things Easy• Get kids involved
• Invest in ergonomic tools
• Get a good wagon or wheelbarrow
• Get something to carry your tools in
Low Maintenance Lawns
Most lawn mixes grow best in full sunlight or very light shade
Routine Maintenance• Once established water only during periods of hot, dry
weather
• Fertilize sparingly, if at all. When necessary, use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring
• Mow to 4 in. when seed heads develop (end of spring) then monthly to 4 in. or simply leave it alone
• Remove leaves in the fall
• Try a small patch as a trial first, for 1 or 2 growing seasons
UofM Extension Links• Choosing Landscape Evergreens
• Native Trees for Landscape Use
• Trees, Shrubs & Vines For Minnesota Landscapes
• Effects of De-icers on Trees & Shrubs
• Pruning Shrubs
• Tough Trees and Shrubs for tough sites
Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet’
Useful Links: • http://www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/• http://www.BlueThumb.org • http://www.sustland.umn.edu/• http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues • http://plantselector.dot.state.mn.us/• http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/• http://www.for-wild.org/• http://www.northerngardening.com/• http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/nr/index.html