Friend-LINK: <%=INSERTTEXT%>

Subscribe to AGN Powered by www.ONElist.com

A Gardener's Notebook: The latest incarnation of my column detailing the trails and tribulations of my garden. Join the list and ask your own questions about gardening Subscribe

I like to think that the best gardens are those where nature is merely spruced up rather than beaten into submission. I can appreciate the beautiful parterre gardens of Europe, but I tend to lean towards areas of cultivation surrounded by areas of unmolested, if not untouched, wilderness.

I remember the wood lots of my childhood. Most of the farms surrounding my hometown had a few acres of land set aside for firewood in the winter. I admired their wildness and the dense stands of saplings that would become almost impenetrable as the years passed. There was always something magical about stepping from the flat, cultivated fields into the cool and close embrace of the wood lot. In there you would find animal tracks and small meadows where the deer had bedded down. Small creeks would make sharp ravines that you had to jump across so you didn't get your feet wet. These are the memories that effect my gardening whenever I get a chance to create something new.

Solutions

If you are having trouble filling in an area of your garden you might want to look around you for some solutions. The next time you take a walk, look in the vacant lots and other untended areas. See if you can spot the natives that pop up in areas like this. Some people may have qualms about planting "weeds", but if you pick and choose carefully, always choosing true natives for your area, you might find some interesting plants that can survive in those too shady or too sunny areas of your garden.

Going native

Durability is one of the best traits of native plants. They might not be the showiest members of the garden but they can be the most reliable. You do have to be a bit more attentive to their needs though. Here in Los Angeles this attention actually takes the form of inattention. Watering California natives during the summer months can cause root rot and a quick demise. Natives also shouldn't be fertilized. They tend to become better established when they have to struggle like they do in the wild which means you can't really plant natives in areas bordering lawns where the grass sprinklers water everything.

Hybrid vs. Low Bred

Over the years I have begun to lean more towards plants which harken back to earlier forms rather than the hybrids we usually find at the local nursery. I like old roses, heirloom vegetables and plants that don't require fussing over or large doses of fertilizer and pesticides. While some people might miss the multiple blooms and sunflowers the size of Jack's beanstalk, the older I become, the more I want to simplify, both in my garden and my life.

Keep digging! -- Douglas