@BenCotto Some years ago I read a book called Plant Driven Design. It made me rethink gardening and I have now read it more than four times. This was the start of understanding it.
RETIRED GARDENER, SOUTH NOTTS, SOIL CLAY
A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.
I read through your questionnaire first without filling in the answers but it automatically submitted it without answers, so if you get a blank one, sorry, that was me!
A few comments that may or may not be useful anyway..
Some explanation of terms would definitely have been helpful. Many people probably do associate xeriscaping with cactus and arid desert conditions, so a broader understanding of the term might have encouraged more to tick that box.
I found there was little space for comment or nuance - for example, as most geotextiles are made of non-biodegradable plastic/synthetic polymers plus possibly use vast quantities of water and energy in their production, they are a big environmental no for me. However there are alternative, more environmentally friendly methods to achieve the same ends (assuming I guessed correctly those ends) that I would use.
Plants don’t have to be native to be climate adapted and not all UK natives are adapted to all UK locations and may become less so as the climate changes. Here in Spain, I mostly plant for summer heat and drought tolerance (and wildlife, of course) but few are native to my adopted country. Many plants on sale are aimed at the Mediterranean coastal communities, often too tender to withstand the freezing winter temperatures and clay soil of my inland, mountain location. To achieve that old adage ‘right plant, right place’, which sums up ‘climate adaptation’ rather well, I have to buy from further afield.
Reducing water-hungry lawns is good, but so is reducing impermeable hard landscaping - less paving slabs more planting/gravel/mulch etc., installing water butts to collect rainwater runoff, irrigating efficiently - drip hose buried in mulch and set to go at night rather than wasteful sprinkling during the day, deep watering less frequently for shrubs and trees (not little and often, which increases heat stress and water dependency), creating shade to conserve water use etc.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
My front garden receives no water other than rain water. It is mulched in early spring. No pesticides or feed are used .This is xeriscaping and it can be applied anywhere in the world not just in arid countries.
RETIRED GARDENER, SOUTH NOTTS, SOIL CLAY
A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.
Your question asking whether I would buy plants labelled as drought resistant, I answered "don't know" - not because I don't know, but because "it depends where I'm going to plant it" is more accurate. Some parts of my garden are distinctly boggy, and obviously it would be inappropriate to plant drought resistant species there.
You also asked where I live. I hope the fact that I don't live in any of the countries you mention, doesn't make my answers invalid. (I'm in Ireland; a fair number of contributors to this forum don't live in GB.)
Finally, the "ethnicity" list seems to imply that you can't be British unless you're white, which might put the cat among the pigeons for some people!
An interesting survey - thank you!
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." Rabindranath Tagore
I've recently been watching an online lecture by The Land Gardeners. 'Climate compost' covers many aspects (some would say the title is a bit misleading) but a key point is that significantly improving the water holding capacity of the soil helps plants cope with drought conditions and reduce run off during/after significant periods of rain. Worth a watch and finding out more about their work if they're not already on your radar.
I never ever water my 'lawns'. They go brown,they green up again, they go brown ....... ad infinitum. Maybe I'm xeriscaping 🤔
Same here. The edges may get a bit of run-off if I water in new plants, but otherwise grass takes its chances. I concentrate watering on new planting and things in containers.
I planted a small very dry pebbly area with sedums and sempervivums a couple of years ago in the hope that they would do OK there (it needs to be a low planting because the car door has to open over it). They look well in late summer to autumn but struggle over the winter, look very bedraggled, some rosettes die off, and they take all of spring and most of summer to get going again. Oh well. The thinking cap will be going back on. Maybe something like prostrate thyme would do better.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Indeed, and whatever went in its place would need watering at least until settled in. Unless it was all paved, which I don't like and can't afford anyway.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.
Dan Pearson
A few comments that may or may not be useful anyway..
Some explanation of terms would definitely have been helpful. Many people probably do associate xeriscaping with cactus and arid desert conditions, so a broader understanding of the term might have encouraged more to tick that box.
I found there was little space for comment or nuance - for example, as most geotextiles are made of non-biodegradable plastic/synthetic polymers plus possibly use vast quantities of water and energy in their production, they are a big environmental no for me. However there are alternative, more environmentally friendly methods to achieve the same ends (assuming I guessed correctly those ends) that I would use.
Plants don’t have to be native to be climate adapted and not all UK natives are adapted to all UK locations and may become less so as the climate changes. Here in Spain, I mostly plant for summer heat and drought tolerance (and wildlife, of course) but few are native to my adopted country. Many plants on sale are aimed at the Mediterranean coastal communities, often too tender to withstand the freezing winter temperatures and clay soil of my inland, mountain location. To achieve that old adage ‘right plant, right place’, which sums up ‘climate adaptation’ rather well, I have to buy from further afield.
Reducing water-hungry lawns is good, but so is reducing impermeable hard landscaping - less paving slabs more planting/gravel/mulch etc., installing water butts to collect rainwater runoff, irrigating efficiently - drip hose buried in mulch and set to go at night rather than wasteful sprinkling during the day, deep watering less frequently for shrubs and trees (not little and often, which increases heat stress and water dependency), creating shade to conserve water use etc.
A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.
Dan Pearson
You also asked where I live. I hope the fact that I don't live in any of the countries you mention, doesn't make my answers invalid. (I'm in Ireland; a fair number of contributors to this forum don't live in GB.)
Finally, the "ethnicity" list seems to imply that you can't be British unless you're white, which might put the cat among the pigeons for some people!
An interesting survey - thank you!