The gardening website of the Texas High Plains Region
High Plains Gardening
The gardening website of the Texas High Plains Region
High Plains Gardening
The gardening website of the Texas High Plains Region
High Plains Gardening
The gardening website of the Texas High Plains Region
High Plains Gardening
The gardening website of the Texas High Plains Region
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In these new sections, gardening information is organized and arranged differently with the perspective of creating organic landscapes in harmony with nature. Hopefully, I'll explain the principles and techniques involved sufficiently for you to be able to use them as guides throughout your gardening life. The practices involved are divided into three areas: practices with involvement both above and below ground, below ground practices and what a gardener should do above ground to promote a garden working with nature. Please remember, to be successful you need not do everything all at once, or everything at all. When you accomplish any positive improvement in your landscape, you are on the road to success and your landscape will reflect the change. The degree of success is up to you.
Before we begin to build organic landscapes, we must eliminate the use of products that kill beneficial micro and macro biological life. The use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and synthetic and even organic "cides" are counterproductive if we hope to attain a semblance of a landscape in harmony with nature.
A rudimentary understanding of soil and below ground gardening practices is vitally important to creating organic landscapes. Although soil is complex, a gardener need only know the basics, but these they must know to be successful.
Unless your soil analysis indicates soil in good tilth with adequate organic content for your landscape purpose, amending the soil is in your future. Amending with both organic and inorganic amendments, here in the Texas Panhandle, is usually the best method to improve the soil. Adjustments to soil can be made bed to bed according to your plan, whether they are high, medium or low water-use areas.
The mineral content is an important component of healthy soil. Improving the soil for mineral balance may be in order if a review of the soil analysis reveals imbalances or deficiencies.
Perfect soil is a rare occurrence. We often take up gardening more seriously after our landscape has been in existence for some time, either under our own care or others and learn after the fact about soil amending. Regardless, improving the soil is a most important step to creating healthy, thriving organic landscapes, reducing water-use and long-term maintenance.
Any gardening will disturb the soil. Our goal is to minimize soil disturbance once amended beds, borders and lawns are established. I've outlined a few long-standing and lower work techniques.
The first of the above ground practices addresses your basic landscape design. Determining the best location for various beds and plants depends on the micro-niches in your landscape. Sun and shady areas, windy and protected, warmer or cooler, drier areas or spots where water accumulates, in addition to variations in soil should determine plant and bed placement. Maximize the concept of right plant, right location.
Traditional gardening assumes the role of sole caretaker of the landscape. Landscapes in harmony with nature gives the nurturing part of that role back to nature, where it belongs. Creating plant communities helps nature help itself.
Gardens around the world are filled with "discovered" plants. Plants that were discovered to work well in their location and fit the style or functional need. Adopt the attitude of a plant explore, and search out the best adapted variety for our location, your micro-niche, style, and function.
Texas Panhandle weather can turn on a dime, wreaking havoc with planting schedules. On the average, there is a time and a season for planting, when outside those bounds, the success rate diminishes.
Lawns typically make up the largest percentage of American landscapes. With so much real estate devoted to single plant species per bed, it behooves one to learn the best care practices possible. When followed, maintenance and water-use will be decreased and the health and look of the grass will increase.
The Texas Panhandle may be semi-arid, but it's quite possible to live and garden within our means, that is, on yearly average precipitation. Many cultures have practised a more efficient use of their water resources than we are used to. Whether we're faced with water restrictions or not, using water more efficiently is better for all on Planet Earth.
Composting and recycling yard waste mimics nature's continuous recycling of nutrients (energy) within one's landscape. It makes little sense to dispose of plants and plant parts in an unfruitful landfill and then purchase other amendments to replace them. With a minimum of effort, the cycle can be completed on site. Home composting is harmonious with the natural world.
Organic matter needs to be replenished at least yearly, depending on plant and purpose. Some plants need more, drought tolerant plants need less. Some plants need very little. As in all things gardening, garden for the needs of the plants.
The final practice is also the sixth principle of organic gardening: Consider troublesome insects and diseases as symptoms of a violation of one of the first five principles (of organic gardening). Soil, soil life and plants are interconnected and interdependent – ill health, insect infestations and disease flag us that something is out of balance, out of harmony.
Here are a few gardening references helpful in understanding organic practices that create gardens in harmony with nature used in this section, Creating Organic Landscapes.
