Re: Low Mainitenance

Hi Joseph,

To reply to your comments:

Maintenance is the ongoing maintaining of a garden.  But this comes
after the establishment, construction, and creation of the garden.
Modification of the soil is the biggest consideration.  Some plants
should be in raised beds or on natural slopes for good drainage, for
example.  I think you are saying if you have heavy, clay soil, only put
plants in that grow in clay - or sand, or whatever.  The $10 hole theory
is that once the soil is amended to suit the plant, in a site that tries
to imitate the plant's native conditions, it will thrive.  We make the
same kind of adjustment when providing a shade or a hot, sunny location.

If the garden was entirely natural, it wouldn't need a gardener at all.

We just don't have gardens varied or big enough to grow the variety of
plant material we are interested in without this assistance.   And yet,
properly planted, they make it through most of the year without
watering.

We had a mild and drier than usual winter of '97-'98 followed by a hot
and windy summer with 8 weeks of no rain.  This stressed even the native
plants.  While native plants will survive with these conditions, in our
gardens we prefer to see them in better condition.

I have watered some of my rhododendrons (considered water
guzzlers) today for the first time this year.  Of the approx. 70 species
and old roses, they are blooming like crazy and I haven't watered them
yet.  To me, it is acceptable to have roses if they thrive without much
help.  But they were established in some pretty terrific planting holes
10-20 years ago!  We had a cool spring but
can expect 6-8 weeks without rain.  Even with this, I don't water more
than 4 or 5 times - I think that is low maintenance, water-wise, for a
year.   Others here are turning on irrigation systems every two days.  I
hand-water my 3/4 acre garden with a hose so it has to survive without
watering - indeed, it flourishes, thanks to the $10 holes.   Does this
make sense?
Diane Pertson
Otter Point Haven otterpt@macn.bc.ca
Nature Notes from Vancouver Island
http://zapbc.com/nature.htm at
Parksville & Qualicum Beach Online http://zapbc.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph L. Seals <40571@www1.utech.net>
To: <Medit-Plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 1999 8:42 PM
Subject: Low Mainitenance


> Diane makes an interesting statement, part of which I've never
> understood; she says...
>
> "Low maintenance is a principal that can be taken into consideration
for
> every location and type of garden, including moist areas, where you
> would provide drainage.
>
> To me, low maintenance is planting properly in the first place:
>
> 1) The right plant in the right place
> 2) A $5 plant in a $10 hole
>
> Diane Pertson"
>
>
> I firmly believe in the first part.  In fact, it's one of my gardening
> soap boxes, my creeds, my horticultural philosophies.  If, indeed, the
> "right" plant has been chosen in the first place, maintenance should
be
> zero.  Of course "right" is relative.  Yes?
>
> The second part makes it all kind of an oxymorn.  Maybe?  If a
gardener
> has chosen the "right" plant, it should be tolerant of the soil
> conditions, the pH, the drainage, the class, the moisture retention,
et
> al.  If it is not so adaptable -- if it needs a "$10 hole" -- is it
the
> "wrong" plant?
>
> I'm sure few of us are blessed with an absolutely perfect combination
> of soil, climate, and other environmental conditions that allows us to
> grow the long list of plants we would truly like to.  But that low (or
> even zero) maintenance level is achieved by sticking to what are truly
> the "right" plants.  If one thinks that a $10 hole is the answer, one
> takes another step up the scale from "low maintenance".
>
> I have some real "crappy" (a technical term) soil in my yard.  Yet
I've
> put together a collection of Med plants that I'm quite proud of.  No
$10
> holes.  Not one.
>
> Semantics?  I don't know.  Simply my opinion; don't beat me up.
>
> Joe Seals
> On river sand that once was under a construction zone in Santa Maria,
CA
> garden@utech.net
>
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