soil and water

Our soil is also teeming with activity, most of it happening at a microscopic level. The critters that we can actually see without magnifying glasses and microscopes are the giants of the underground world. Much of this underground world has yet to be fully understood. But it is an ecosystem unto itself. Not just insects and other invertebrates, but fungi and bacteria exist in our soil, making crucial contributions to our ecology. Healthy soil is the foundation to the health of everything that springs from it.

How many gardeners are frustrated by all the clay (or sand) that makes up the majority of their garden soil? Why not work with it by finding the plants that thrive in such soil? I used to feel limited by what I could plant in the areas of my garden that were covered with a layer of rock. I felt limited by the thought of having to move the rock, mix in bags of soil conditioner to break up the clay, then planting my plant before moving all of the rock back again. Any time I wanted to plant something into the ground, I was always weighed down by the thought of all those bags of soil conditioner and feeling resentful of being stuck with clayey soil. Alternatively, gardening with natives allows you to work with the soil as it exists. And that allows the life processes underground to go about their business with less disturbance.

Native plant gardens need no fertilizer. And it's not that they don't need fertilizer; fertilizer kills native plants. Imagine what it does to the soil and all of its living organisms.

Native plant gardening has become synonymous with drought-tolerant gardening. This gives the image of California as being all chaparral and scrub. Which of course isn't the case. There are native plants for all of the different conditions up and down the state, from the mountainous regions to the north coast to the southern desert. So it is important when gardening with native plants to select according to where they naturally thrive. And if not, can you create a condition where they can thrive? I planted a Western Azalea next to my house in the east Bay Area where I know I'll be able to give it the supplemental water it will need. It is a plant that thrives in the moister conditions of our North Coast and not 'drought-tolerant.' But I wanted it, know I can give it plenty of water, and still, no fertilizer!

What is nice though is for the most part, and particularly where one might otherwise install an irrigation system, is that you can plant natives appropriate to your climate and after it is established, not have to give any supplemental water at all. This is especially appropriate for the areas of your landscape that are farther away from the house. It is an easy matter to water those beautiful baskets of nasturtiums hanging underneath your overhang, the camellias that line against your house, and the beds of annuals you pick up every spring from the local nursery. But the 'bones' and structural elements in the further reaches of your yard would do well to be natives. Trees and large shrubs are especially important to have native as they anchor your habitat garden. The smaller shrubs and perennials will grow alongside these larger natives like they have always done, and you won't have to worry about fertilizing or watering them. Even pruning is minimized.