Practice water-wise planting as drought persists
Our spring reminds me of Chaucer’s prologue to the “Canterbury Tales,” where he describes sweet April showers piercing the drought of March right down to the roots, bathing the plants with the water needed to flourish. With luck, we too will see more showers bathing our garden plants and encouraging blossoms and growth.
The rather extended drought has dried out much of the soil, especially where sand and rocks predominate. Fall-planted shrubs, trees and perennials are particularly vulnerable and have already needed additional watering at a time when the soil is usually still quite wet.
As I’m wandering around the garden, I’m noticing which plants are thriving during this waterless spring, and which need some extra care. This is a good opportunity to plan ahead, too, and think about how to have a beautiful garden even with the predicted scant water supply for the entire state. Water-wise planting is one answer, especially when it includes native plants and others suited to our region’s soil and weather.
My rock garden is a good example. Here, everything is thriving. The succulents are accustomed to drought, since that part of the garden gets little water anyway. And native bulbs like flowering onions, camas and fritillaries as well as bitterroot are at home in dry, rocky and sandy soil. So are our native penstemons which dislike wet feet, and are loving this spring. The best part is that all of these plants produce spectacular flowers over quite a long period. Something is always blooming in the rock garden.
Elsewhere, snowdrops and crocuses abound – the yellow, purple, white and lavender blossoms blanketing whole areas and abuzz with bees. Daffodils, tulips, grape and regular hyacinths, more flowering onion and also garlic, non-native fritillaries, and lilies are blooming or showing definite signs of coming attractions. The small, early-blooming iris reticulata are in full flower, and their larger relatives are gaining size.
Low-growing thymes, creeping phlox and veronica, soapwort, small bell-flower varieties, blue-eyed grass and perennial geraniums, as well as miniature roses on their own root stock are all replacing a lawn that always wanted more water and never liked the many ponderosas on the property.
Our native serviceberry, snowberry, mock orange, Oregon grape, golden currants, and nine-bark can hold their own among the ponderosas, look attractive and are undemanding once they’re established. That’s true of our perennial gaillardias, coreopsis, and coral bell varieties, too. Add some echinacea and rudbeckia, ornamental oreganos, lavenders, sages, mints, lupines, spurges, poppies, asters, sea holly, globe thistles and yuccas, and a few annuals like larkspur, cosmos, bachelor buttons and calendulas, and any garden can be a riot of scent and color throughout even a very dry growing season.
In the garden this week
Check soil moisture and water rhododendrons and other moisture-loving trees, shrubs and perennials, especially those that were planted last fall and haven’t had a chance to become fully established.
Fertilize rhododendrons, azaleas, and other ornamental trees and shrubs as well as fruit trees.
Prune late-flowering shrubs (July or later), and shrubs grown for colorful new growth.
Cut back perennials left standing last fall. New growth is on the way.
It’s time to plant rhubarb and asparagus if you haven’t already done so. You can also plant onion sets, shallots, herbs and landscape trees and shrubs, berry plants and fruit trees as soon as you can work the ground.
Get new plants into the ground as soon as possible to avoid dried-out roots. If you must keep them in pots for a while, put them in a shady place.
Evaluate the location before planting to make sure you have the right plant in the right place. Consider the mature size of the plant as well as its cultural needs.
Be sure to water well and deeply after planting. Deep watering ensures stronger root growth.
The ground is still too cold for seeding directly outdoors, so be patient. Pull weeds instead.
Rake needles and leaves off lawns to prevent suffocation and mold. Aerate, too.
You can also treat your lawn for crabgrass and other annual weeds with an early pre-emergent weed killer.
This is also a good time to spray trees and shrubs (but not blue spruce) with horticultural oil sprays to control scale, insects, aphids and mite problems.