This may be my most important garden design video…at least as it applies to me and my own garden. Climate change, local utility mandates, scarce water, and other resources dictate that our garden design principles address practical, aesthetic, and geographical issues. These design ideas are very timely for all of us in both our present and future gardens. #gardendesign #landscapedesign #groundcover
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My USDA Gardening Zone: 7a
Linda Merch: https://lindavatershop.com
43 Comments
I have never understood the gardeners who try to replicate the “English gardens” in inappropriate garden zones. English gardens in high dessert areas seem impractical and destined to fail. Green expanses of lawn in states with serious lack of rain seem so expensive to maintain. Here in Michigan, we have some wonderful choices in zone 6b. But l can’t grow cactuses or palm trees. Responsible gardeners plant native plants. Your advice was excellent. We all have to take into account climate change and water conservation no matter where we live.
I live in the DFW area and the tree butchering goes on year around by the state utility “Oncore”. I just experienced it this June. My crepe myrtles and oak tree in back were cut 10’ in all directions. Luckily the myrtles grew back pretty quick.😤
My mistake was planting things that spread too fast. I’m getting too old to keep plants like that under control! I have been ripping those plants out and adding things that only spread by the clump getting bigger. No more plants with runners!
We cut down the horrible trees that were planted by previous owners. They regularly dropped limbs in high winds. I replaced them further from the house, with Texas natives. Unfortunately I have a crepe myrtle too close (my mistake) that makes a huge mess on my driveway. Another big mistake was planting what I thought were dwarf Nandinas that took over my front beds and had to be removed. The holly hedge in another area planted by previous owner has been indestructible, only losing a few leaves after our heat and drought. I use native limestone rocks to edge my beds (gathered by my husband) and have large limestone rocks as accents. Great advice and we do have to change accordingly as the climate does. Central Texas 8a.
Thank you for these great observations. This is exactly what I’m dealing with. Ours is an older house with aging maples, pecans, dogwoods, an enormous camellia 6” from the foundation, too much lawn, and on and on. They’re 50-60 years old and have reached the end of their lifespan. We’re slowly redoing and thinking of everything you’ve mentioned. Great thoughts.
Loved this!
Love your advice! We are zone 7b. Our power lines are buried but only from the street to the house. The power lines are above along the road and our fence. The power company contracts with local companies to handle the trees. To my chagrin they started using weed killer on the cedars along the fence. I was fortunate enough to catch them before they did too much damage and negotiated with them. I can take the cutting back/down better than the unsightly use of weed killer. Looking forward to your next adventure.
That skirt is awesomely Autumnal!
Where do I start?
1. Not planting hosta deep enough – it’s too rocky here and it’s hard to plant deep enough. They become too leggy.
2. Planting hosta too close to a walkway edge – they get very large and become very difficult to remove.
3. Skipping a year of boxwood fall neem oil – thrips come back during the spring/summer and you’ll have to start all over again.
4. Waiting too long to power wash the bluestone – my bluestone had turned from blue to green and became slippery and dangerous.
5. Waiting too long to hard trim the out-of-control/yellow leafed rhododendrons- spindly and leggy rhododendrons are ugly.
6. Planting a PeeGee Hydrangea too close to a rock wall – conditions were so wet that the roots rotted. I loved that plant.
7. Waiting too long to prune lilac bushes – blooms become very sparse or half bloomed with leggy branches.
8. Not learning how to properly care for Andromeda – four of them are still too yellow after 3-years but I’m not giving up.
This was absolutely WONDERFUL! And the timing of this video was spot on! We are in the midst of redoing all the landscaping in the front of our house and have been looking at different design ideas and just the right plants and materials to use. I too want to make the right choices taking into consideration changing weather conditions and a look that is more in tune with my style. These tips were just GREAT! As usual, you have put together with Stewart an informative and interesting video! This was just what I needed to hear…just when I needed it! Thank you so much for your knowledge and hard work! Oh, and let me just say that I LOVE your outfit today! That skirt!!!! LOVE IT! Sending you and Stewart lots of love and blessings!
I found this very interesting and wise advice.
Our Australian garden has to cater to drought, cold and heat. We do have a lot of shrubs and some plants are repetitive planted for structure.
Summers have very little rainfall and overnight temperatures also remain fairly high. It is hard to find plants that cope with the harsh frosts and also the heat but what we have has worked really well.
We do still have some perennials and annuals but rely mostly on shrubs and I also like to have bulbs for the different seasons and not just for Spring. Bulbs that come up after the worst of the heat and when the first showers of rain come I find very valuable for colour. They remain dormant in summer therefore don't need watering.
Soil type is always a important consideration. Ours is clay based but improved over the past 18 years and we always mulch at the end of winter wile moisture is in the soil and to help keep the soil cooler under the mulch.
Oh my gosh, I am absolutely THRILLED to hear you say that you are going to increase your emphasis on natives for the benefit they have for local wildlife! You will also find that you need to water much less once those plants are established.
I am a novice gardener since moving to a new property two years ago and watching your videos has been a huge part of my journey but I’ve always tried to filter what I’ve learned through the lens of using natives, which is very important to me. If you haven’t discovered the work of Doug Tallamy yet, I highly recommend that you look into him. He’s a professor at U Delaware who has researched this topic extensively and has published several books on the topic. Many of his talks are available for free on YouTube.
Additionally, there is a botanical garden in Delaware (maybe 45 mins from QVC Studio Park and 15 mins away from Longwood Gardens) that you would probably enjoy visiting, the Mt. Cuba Center. They specialize in local natives (which probably has differences for OK, of course) but it’s so wonderful to see life thriving there. Also, they have a research garden where they look at different cultivars of native plants and then recommend what seems to give the most to local pollinators. I think you would find it fascinating, if you haven’t been there already.
I let out a cheer when u referenced more native plants trees or shrubs. Native plants are much much better for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. They are also better for birds. Natives also have much deeper root systems which is necessary to be drought tolerant. Nice!
I love that outfit! I am moving a small snowball bush I planted last year. I want it to shade the window of my hubby’s office. I think I planted it too close to the house. All the other shrubs are planted right up next to the house (by the original home owner). After watching this I’m wondering if I should just bite the bullet and move everything forward? Plus there’s a crape myrtle that is maybe six inches away from the house, and it’s probably 25 feet tall or more. What do I do about that?😳 I appreciate any suggestions anyone would like to offer.
Fluctuation in weather changes and knowing the history is so important. Oklahoma went through the extreme weather we are seeing today back in the 30s and early 40s. Finding the key to plants that can change both ways is the key.
In my 20s, I lived in a mobile home park. We had 5 Pinoaks and an evergreen. One day, coming home from work – the trees where made defoliated except for the tippy top, and several trees were taken out because the owner didn't want to deal with any issues. Anyway – I cried for days – like just weeping. When you have a small place, and you don't own it, the trees brought lots of joy. Realizing how little power we had and that the power company and the owner of the park could just take out trees was just devastating.
Chiming in… so agree with your sun-full sun discussion. Sun intensity, full sun +draught they can't take all day sun or afternoon, zero shade placement. Fail. Especially in containers! Cant water 2x a day water restrictions. Things can't take it. Moving containers at least have option. In ground stuff? Rethinking all…
Good content Linda. I really resonate with the last point. I’ve recently moved to a small acreage of post oak savannah with prairie grass, pecan trees and old oaks. A dream come true for sure! Soooo my English cottage garden aesthetic from my past suburban, irrigated landscaping has taken a hard hit on the brakes this summer with weeks of triple digits and drought. Biggest lesson learned and still learning is to go with what nature gives you. Plant natives even if my beds will be empty while my plants are sleeping under a blanket of native mulch only to burst forth next year, providing nectar for the pollinators and homes for all the little bugs the many native birds eat so prolifically. I’m 60 not 35 and if I provide a salad bar for the deer well then I’ll take pictures and try again. I love my country home and am evolving as I learn how to garden here. I thought I was a pretty good gardener and then I moved to Texas 😂
Great video. This year southern California has brought on gardening lessons galore! While the temperatures have been ideal ( until this week ) The drought has proven to bring on so many challenges. It seems like you can water forever, but without actual rain it is in vain. Thank you for sharing your observations, as usual it is valuable information.
It is a disaster in CALIFORNIA with our utility Pacific Gas and Electric. Butchers! Just say I refuse!
Try tecurim for Mediterranean boarder planting. Several great species.
Irrigation is so important! Here in California, drip irrigation conserves the most water. The individual emitters on the thin 1/4 inch tubing only last a few years and are hard to install, but 1/2 inch tubing with in-line emitters are sturdy and easy to install. Netafim and Rainbird are common brands. Also, we water during the night to decrease evaporation. Yes, Linda, we are re-designing our yards without turf and thirsty plants too. It feels like the best way to help our Earth.
Great Video Linda and Greetings from Massachusetts
Cutting them off if they are ten feet away from the line seems very extreme! I think I would talk to a lawyer. Here in Va. you can have trees made historic based on how old they are and they cannot be touched. Pruned of course, but not lopped off indiscriminately.
One of the reasons I love your garden is the combination of formal and some dedicated more free flow plants. In my yard I use mostly free flowing because of lack of an outdoor green thumb and inexperience in making decisions about what I want to have and what is actually going to survive better. In the past I’ve gotten hung up on certain plants that don’t always perform well or are high maintenance. After learning a lot from your video’s I realize it’s okay to pull something out that is over the top
struggling or just planting something that proves it’s hardy and sustainable.
But I absolutely love the boxwood potager!!!! My favorite in your garden. I have three large maples that were planted many years before me, they were used to cool the house from the intense evening heat. However, they are way to close to house and in need of trimming away.
Yes! We had the power company come in and take down 12 gigantic cedar trees lining the back of our property! It was horrible, just devastating to us!!! Goldsboro, PA zone 6b
Linda, your potager has been such an inspiration for me. Your comments broke my heart 😀
I agree about the harsh, hot sunlight and "full sun" plants (arborvitae, for example) — can have them in 5b Denver! Love the very last design you shared — once again, I agree!
Yes to more flowering shrubs if you want flowers in your garden. The cost, quantity & care for so many annuals & perennials to fill in gaps can be overwhelming when all you need is a few flowering shrubs. Save the annuals for a few hanging baskets.:)
In South Africa all our power lines have been converted to underground in the roads. No more unsightly overhead utility lines. Hallelujah. Does mean that from time to time our driveways and sidewalks do get dug up!
I am so excited to hear you’re going to start focusing on natives!! I’m in OKC too and I have loved watching you; now I’ll love you even more!!
While the idea of a dedicated bubbler head for (all) woody perennials is a good idea, one little emitter at the base isn't going to cut it for all but the smallest shrubs/trees. A decent sized tree's root system can be 1.5 to 4 times the crown diameter. And most of the water absorbing root hairs are at the end. So a spiraling soaker hose is a the better option.
Also, natives are good, but non-natives are not a horrible choice either. They have proven to have their merits for pollinators, such as blooming far into the autumn when most natives have been shutting down for the year for weeks if not months; let alone bloom.
When I bought my house, I inherited a row of forty year old 200’ tall Monterrey pines (year round growing season) along the SE side of our front yard and driveway, here on the mountain on Maui. They are gorgeous, but if high winds come, they come from the SE. If one of those trees toppled, it could take out the whole house, and me with it! In addition to that, those trees shade the front yard all winter, but not in summer. Chances are they will not come down in what is left of my lifetime, but with climate change, who knows. So your #1 tip is resonating with me , Linda!
Linda talked about the drip lines…does anyone else have these installed and deal with squirrels? I’m replacing at least 60% every spring because of squirrel damage. Any suggestions anyone?
Nice hat !
Getting back to basics. This is how my aunts and grandmother gardened. Mainly because of funds. You did not waste what precious little money you had on the maybes! They planted what was tried and true in our zone. Go to your old established nurseries. They are a wealth of knowledge. Keep you from making big mistakes. I follow what they taught me, and my garden makes me happy. I fortunately live in the very most southern states, so don’t have to worry about getting rain. And I stay organic. If it can’t survive the bugs, fungus or whatever, it perishes. That simple. And I get to plant something new🧚🏻♂️. AND AS A SIDE NOTE, watch out for nurseries that recommend a lot of product for your garden. Lots of time they just trying to run up the bill so they can make more money. Do your research before you go.
I'm a huge fan of shrubs that give interest in all 4 seasons. I just put in artic fire dog woods, loropetalums, Florida Sunshine Illiciums, and one Candy Corn spirea (the only one that's not evergreen but too beautiful not to use). Here in 7B, central NC, I've found its tricky to judge full sun to part shade and where the plant/shrub will be happiest. Erring on the side of caution is best, even if you sacrifice a little bit of color in the leaves it's better than stressing the plant/shrub and having to use more water. I'm late to the party when it comes to shrubs but they really do provide needed architecture and winter interest. I can't wait to see what it all looks like next year.
Really good video Linda. One I think I
will watch multiple times just to help me remember what is important in my gardening from now on. And one to keep in mind when I see a beautiful plant and try to make it fit in to my gardening zone of 5b in a very dry and hot Colorado. Thank you for putting this all together in one video.
From central Ontario, Canada: I love our "Emerald Green" arborvitae, but they definitely don't like intense sunshine. About three years ago, my neighbour removed his large Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), which had been providing dappled shade for some of my Emerald Greens. Those exposed Emerald Greens quickly died despite our in-ground sprinkler system. The healthy ones really provide much needed structure, and colour during our winters.
Here in Missouri we have extremes of cold and heat, few years back was so cold for so long, killed hollies. Now this summer drought and about 18 days of triple digits that has detrimental effects. We had an old growth shaggy pine tree totally die from this drought. They say we will see effects for years to come. I'm also learning of the hardier landscaping bushes, shubs, evergreens, I've been getting into sedums too….butterfly and bees love them
WONDERFUL INFORMATION, LINDA VERY EDUCATIONAL!!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL OUTFIT, THE SKIRT IS JUST GORGEOUS!!!!!!!.