FROM THE BEGINNING-STARTING YOUR NATIVE LANDSCAPE

PLANNING

1. Location-Consider where you will put your new bed in terms of sun and shade, dryness and wetness.

2. Style- Are you envisioning a manicured or specimen garden or a wildscape?

3. Rules- Are there external rules that bind you, such as an HOA or city ordinance? Make sure you learn these prior to planting.

4. Critters- If there are rabbits, or deer, or armadillos that raid your neighbors’ yards, then consider plants that critters generally leave alone, remembering that they will eat nearly anything if they are hungry enough/

5. Plan and estimate - It is a good idea to make a scale (or approximate) drawing of your new garden area, however simple or precise you wish. Plan for the growth of the plants when allotting each one its space. By doing this you can make a good estimate of the total cost involved for soil amendment, mulch and plants. It needs to be said here that this is not the way every good gardener proceeds. Some are more spontaneous and carefree, but a solid plan will help you achieve your vision and plan for expenses.

BED PREPARATION

1. Perimeter-Measure the outline of your new bed and install appropriate edging. Metal edging is a good choice as it will not rot, nor will it leech chemicals into your soil as treated lumber will. This step will keep your mulch and soil in the bed. In some HOA instructions this is mandated.

2. Remove existing ground cover-This step might be the most difficult part of the entire process, especially if you have Bermuda grass. Many people expend a tremendous amount of energy and time digging and pulling ground cover out by hand. That is one way, but it is not necessary. Here are some natural aids in eliminating unwanted grass:

  • Apply vinegar to kill the grass and/or weeds. Look for vinegar that is 20% acid.
  • Solarize the area by laying down plastic or cardboard and wait for several weeks until the ground cover dies.
  • Place 6-8 layers of newspaper (or cardboard) on the ground cover. (Exclude the colored pages as that ink is not as bio-friendly as is the soy-based ink used on the newspages. You can also purchase a roll of unused newsprint at newspaper offices.) Next you may add soil or just go ahead and add mulch. The ground cover will have died from lack of photosynthesis by the time the newspaper decomposes and it will be a compost for the soil.
  • If you are in a huge hurry, you can dig your hole for planting, add some compost to the hole, and plant. Surround the plant with layers of newspaper and put mulch on top. If you have several of these islands in a small area, you can later join them to form a bed by following the same procedure of edging, newspaper, and mulch.

3. Tilling- There is a lot of discussion and advice about this lately. Understanding soil physiology helps us realize that there is an enormous world of tiny critters called bacteria and fungi in our soils. Without the beneficial ones, our plants do not fare well. Tilling disturbs the aggregates that they form and it takes them a long time to recuperate. Also, there are likely lots of seeds of that ground cover that you will turn up and increase your task of eliminating it. So, we advise NO tilling. Of course, you must use the shovel to prepare a home for your plants, but there is no need to till up the entire bed. Natives, especially know how to send their roots down into Texas soils.

4. Mulch- Always mulch, mulch, mulch. This helps hold moisture in the soil. Bare soil quickly dries out. There are some places where you can get free mulch, but it might be rather messy. You can have a load delivered if you are up to doing the shoveling that is necessary to transfer it to your bed. Or you can buy it in bags and deal with one bag at a time. Often you can find it at a great price. Stay away from the colored mulch because of chemicals. Remember that leaves make great mulch. If you don’t like the look of leaves surrounding your plants, you can put them beneath the mulch and get all the benefits of the leaves as they decompose.

PLANT SELECTION AND INSTALLATION

1. Select- Choose plants matching the amount of sun/shade and amount of water they need with the site you have chosen. Think ahead to the ultimate size the plants will be. Do you want a certain color when the plants flower? What about the timing of flowering? Evergreen?

2. Install- Make the hole larger than the root ball and fill in with good soil/compost. Consider the grouping according to height and color. Plants with similar water requirements should be place close to each other.

3. Mulch- Such an important component that we mention it again. See the prior section. Mulch 2-3 inches deep to keep ground from drying out and weeds from re-growing. Be aware that seeds might drop into the mulch layer and can germinate there. So you might have a bit of weeding to do occasionally, especially if you have oak trees nearby.

4. Water- Even Texas natives need water to get started. Depending on the weather conditions you might need to water daily at first. A rule of thumb is to water once a day for a week, then once a week for a month and then once a month for a year. But it is just a guideline and does not take into account the fluctuations in weather and rainfall. Always check the individual plant data so that you learn the needs of your plants.( See resource list at the end of this document.)

MAINTENANCE

1. Water-Once established, your natives will need minimal watering. See the last section to get an idea of how to establish them.

2. Cut back- Again, you need to read data about your plants to know how much, when, and if to cut them back. If you have a wildscape, perhaps you will not cut back at all. You will be able to collect the seedheads of many of your plants in this activity. (Resource list at the end of this document.)

3. Weed/mulch- There might be some weeds that grow through the mulch, especially when the mulch has decomposed and the layer is much thinner than at the outset. Also, birds and wind bring seeds to your mulch layer and weeds can grow up in that layer. At any rate, the weeding will generally be easily and quickly done. Remember to add mulch each season. In the summer it prevents drying of the soil and in the winter it provides warmth.

4. Maintenance guide- You might want to develop your own guide for your particular selection of plants. There is also a guide developed by Williamson County members of NPSOT from the old library demonstration garden. This is listed at with other resources at the end of this document.

RESOURCES

WEBSITES:

  • (Williamson County chapter)--contains the Maintenance Guide
  • (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)-provides all the plant data you might need
  • (State NPSOT)

BOOKS:

  • Xeriscape for Central Texas, A Water-Wise Approach to Home Landscaping, published by The Xeriscape Garden Club of the Austin Area, Inc.
  • Lessons in Nature, by Malcolm Beck
  • Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, by Sally and Andy Wasowski
  • Native Texas Gardens, by Sally and Andy Wasowski
  • Grow Green- Landscape Plants, An Earthwise guide for Central Texas, Texas Agrilife Extension

Native Plant Society of Texas

Kathy Henderson 8/1/14