ᐅ Garden Photos Chat Corner

Tolentino schrieb:



I think it’s perfectly fine to discuss climate (change) in a garden thread—that’s definitely part of it.

For example, the question arises whether, considering climate change, it might make sense to occasionally deviate from the rule of planting only native species. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to include Mediterranean plants in garden planning, especially since some species are already establishing themselves as naturalized plants...

That way, less watering might be necessary.

I ask myself the same question.

There are native wildflowers that probably didn’t manage with even less than 30 liters (8 gallons) of rainfall in 3 months. At least, they keep coming back on the former or new meadow. The new wildflower meadow is a disappointment. Flowers do reappear, but not a single blade of grass.
On my steep slope, cacti, succulents, and similar plants will likely be introduced because plants like sedum or sage don’t thrive there.
Maybe it also helps to fall back on older cultivars. In the past, everything had to be watered with a watering can, and the water was sometimes manually carried from the well. My grandmother was still pushing a wheelbarrow with watering cans from the well to the garden until the mid-1980s. It wasn’t done daily and the watering was very minimal. The plants had to be naturally hardy.

Many plants considered typical cottage garden flowers or common vegetables are actually introduced species. A classic cottage garden flower, the dahlia, originally comes from Mexico. Tomatoes and potatoes are all introduced plants. Not every type of naturalized plant spreads rapidly or displaces native plants.

You can find some guidelines for natural-style gardens online. For me, those regulations are too restrictive. I have set my own goals and stick to them—even if choosing plants isn’t always easy.

Snowy36 schrieb:

My hydrangeas strangely survived quite well; I also thought they actually need a lot of water…

Yes, they do need quite a bit of water. I had to water mine a lot, and even so, I’m not sure if they will make it.

What really helps a lot is mulch, not too coarse. A proper thick layer. Especially for shallow-rooted plants, whose roots might otherwise get scorched.

We mulched a flower bed by the house in spring, but didn’t have enough mulch for the second bed and I was too lazy to buy more. I also didn’t want to give the snails a place to live. Bed 1 still looks good, but bed 2 doesn’t look as fresh. In particular, the hostas have grown very differently despite the same location. One even grew backwards. And I haven’t seen any snails at all this year.

Mulching is very important and should not be done sparingly.
Make sure to use the right materials: gravel, bark mulch, compost, grass clippings, straw.

I tried straw last year. Never again. It spread everywhere, and it was still dry underneath. Plus, the weeds multiplied like crazy. Grass clippings are a bit of a balance: too little does nothing, too much rots and smells bad. Bark mulch from deciduous trees seems to be the best option.

For some reason, I don’t like bark mulch. Does anyone here have experience with wood chips?