By Donna Woodward, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
When I moved to our property on Dry Creek Road in Napa in 2009, I found myself in a house in the middle of a meadow surrounded by forest. The house looked bare sitting there in a grassy field. I wanted to add some color and make it look more inviting.
Due to the natural setting, I thought native plants would be ideal. I joined the California Native Plant Society and went to its fall and spring plant sales. My watchwords were “drought tolerant” and “deer resistant.”
We have all heard the praises of water-wise gardening. It saves precious water and requires less attention from the gardener. The use of native plants accomplishes these goals and fits right into my aesthetic.
Not surprisingly, the native plants were easy to grow and, once established, thrived and spread. Our house had one large blank wall that I wanted to cover, so I planted a climbing wild rose on a trellis just in front of the wall. That rose quickly filled the space and more.
The same is true of a wild clematis that I planted around our deck. It climbed up over the deck railing and spread via runners in all directions. Also thriving within a few feet of the house are a flowering currant, a ceanothus bush and monkey flower plants. Eventually I broke down and planted some non-natives as well—rock rose and lavender, among others—still opting for drought-tolerant plants.
None of the problems with plant growth or spreading really concerned me until the fires of October 2017. I was suddenly made aware of the dangers of living in a WUI (pronounced wooey).
In case you aren't familiar with this acronym, it stands for Wildland Urban Interface. As Napa Valley has grown, more properties have been developed in the surrounding woodlands. It's a wonderful life. You live in the midst of nature with privacy and peace and quiet, yet you are still within a short drive to town.
However, you also live with the possibility of wildfire. We were lucky in 2017. The Nunns fire crept slowly up Mt. Veeder before reaching our woods. Our home was spared, thanks to the firefighters who camped in our meadow.
Later we visited the devastation in the Atlas Peak area. That was an example of a wildfire fanned by high winds and low humidity. The tales of narrow escapes, and the stories of some who didn't make it, were heart-wrenching. The wreckage was horrifying.
Year after year the Dry Creek-Lakoya Volunteer Fire Department and its offshoot, the Mt. Veeder Fire Safe Council, had been warning us through meetings and seminars about keeping the areas around our homes clear of vegetation, but I hadn't wanted to hear it. Surely I can have a flower garden. What do they expect? A concrete block of a house in the middle of a bare field?
After seeing what a wind-whipped wildfire can do, I finally realized it was time to reconsider my gardens. The problem is that drought-tolerant plants are more likely to be woody. Woody shrubs often send out new growth while the undergrowth dries up and the hidden leaves die. They look lush from the outside, but they can hide a large quantity of dead stems and foliage underneath.
In a wind-driven fire the biggest danger to your home is flying embers. These embers can ignite anything flammable that is in contact with the house. If you have woody bushes near the house, these can ignite and burn hot enough to set fire to the house. Also, anything that sheds dry leaves or needles can cause a buildup of those materials around stairs, in eaves and corners. These conditions contribute to high fire danger.
The Mt. Veeder Fire Safe Council sponsors free evaluations of homes for fire safety (mountveederfiresafe.org). They visited our home and gave advice on hardening our house against fire. Once the undergrowth problem was pointed out to me, I was shocked to discover so much dead material within the large ceanothus next to the house. It could have made a bonfire. I pruned out all of the undergrowth.
Similar conditions were found within the rock rose shrubs. I found that I could cut those down to the ground in summer and they would put out new growth that could be kept short throughout the fire season.
We are currently working on moving all plants away from the house and installing several feet of hardscape around the walls. In hindsight I wish I had not planted some of the spreading plants, especially the wild rose and clematis. Controlling them is an ongoing battle.
You can find specific recommendations about landscaping for fire safety at the Napa Fire Wise website, napafirewise.org Look under Preparedness, then Landscaping. The website also has links to many other tips for protecting your home. You can also find contact information for your local Fire Safe Council.
Also check out firesafemarin.org website it has a great evacuation check list you can review and print out.
Fire season is here again and there is a lot of support for homeowners. Whether you live in the country or in town, the danger is real, but there are steps you can take to protect your property.
Join Napa County Master Gardeners at the Food Growing Forum by zoom on Sunday, August 30, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., for a free discussion on “Growing Winter Vegetables.” This forum on food growing will continue monthly on the last Sunday of every month, with different topics every time. To receive the Zoom link for the Food Growing Forums, register at http://ucanr.edu/FoodGrowingForum2020. And see our website calendar at napamg.ucanr.edu for other upcoming events.
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide University of California research-based information on home gardening. To find out more about home gardening or upcoming programs, visit the Master Gardener website (napamg.ucanr.edu). Our office is temporarily closed but we are answering questions remotely and by email. Send your gardening questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a phone message at 707-253-4143 and a Master Gardener will respond shortly.
/span>- Author: T. Eric Nightingale
Planning a drought-tolerant garden can be a challenging endeavor. Knowing which plants to use and where to plant them is difficult as information and advice can vary significantly. However, there are a few simple things you can do to make the process easier.
The first task is to become intimately acquainted with your garden. Watch the way the sun moves and where the shade falls throughout the day. It may seem obvious that how much sun a plant receives will affect how much water it uses, but not all plants labeled for low water use will thrive in full sun.
Knowing the locations in your garden that receive shade from summer heat can greatly affect the health of your plants and the maintenance required to keep them looking attractive.
Note how wind moves through your garden. Evapotranspiration, the loss of water through plant leaves, increases significantly with high, hot or dry winds. On a cloudy yet windy day the plants in your garden could dehydrate more than you expect.
Finally, get up close and personal with your soil. Check its water retention by digging a hole about a foot deep and wide and filling it with water. Hope for the water to percolate through in about an hour, signifying good drainage.
Many drought-tolerant plants, especially succulents and cacti, will rot if soil drains too slowly. Conversely, if the soil drains too readily, it can be difficult to keep even low-water plants adequately hydrated.
All of these factors will help you form a picture of how water will be utilized in, and move through, your garden. This knowledge is a useful tool when choosing new plants.
When working on creating a drought-tolerant garden there are some preconceptions it is best to discard. When many people think of a garden, the image that comes to mind is of a classic English garden. This is understandable as modern home gardening and many of its traditions originated in Europe.
But England has a different climate than Napa, and it is not realistic to expect our gardens to look like English landscapes.The plants found in English gardens are often not good candidates for a Napa Valley garden, least of all a drought-tolerant one.
Many of the best-known annual plants are thirsty in our climate, as are many popular perennials such as hydrangeas, camellias and gardenias. Tropical plants, while visually stunning, are often troublesome as well. Even if they are not labeled as requiring a lot of water, the relatively low humidity in Napa Valley can make it difficult to keep them healthy.
Changing our expectations for our gardens does not mean lowering them. A garden can use less water and remain visually pleasing, lush and colorful. In a sunny location, shrubs such as salvia and lavender can be placed among large succulents such as aloe and agave. The contrast of soft and sharp textures is pleasing to the eye. The salvia will bloom most of the summer, while many aloe, such as Aloe capitate, bloom in the winter.
Many popular groundcover-type plants have shallow roots and need frequent watering. These can be easily replaced by a clumping or vining succulent. A favorite of mine is ice plant, Delosperma cooperi, which produces a carpet of purple-pink blooms from spring through summer.
Identifying plants that work in a drought-tolerant garden is easy after some practice. Generally speaking, plants with large, glossy leaves are a poor choice. These plants will lose a lot of water to evapotranspiration and are prone to sunburn. Plants with dusty or fuzzy-looking leaves are much more adapted to hot, dry conditions.
The roots of a plant can also tell you something about its water needs. Small, shallow roots will need more frequent watering than large, deep-burrowing ones. Never hesitate to gently remove a nursery plant from its pot and inspect the roots. They are a key indicator of plant health.
An important bit of information often missing on plant labels is the term “once established in the ground.” Succulents excepted, a potted plant will usually need more water and fertilizer than the same plant in the ground. Many drought-tolerant shrubs survive by growing broad or deep root systems. It takes at least a year for new plants to develop a useful root system, during which time they will need additional water.
Knowing these facts about your garden and the plants in them, as well as altering your perception of how a garden should look, can make an enormous difference in your relationship with it. You can minimize required maintenance and reduce your stress, leaving only the pleasure of enjoying the beautiful space you have created.
Next workshop: “Home Vineyard: Part 2” on Saturday, September 14, from 9:30 to 2:00 p.m., in Calistoga. Learn techniques to maintain your new or existing home vineyard. Workshop location will be provided after registration. For more details & online Registration go to http://napamg.ucanr.edu or call 707-253-4221.
The UC Master Gardeners are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.
West of St. Helena in Napa Valley sits a lovely garden surrounding a small house with a large porch and big picture window. I had an opportunity to speak with the owner, Glenn, about how this idyllic spot came to fruition.
Several years ago, Glenn and Anne purchased this home hoping to retire in the next few years. They saw the potential in an outdated but solidly built home in the perfect spot, along a country lane yet close to town.
They needed to renovate the house first, and then plan the garden. They launched their project by hiring a landscape and garden designer to help clarify their vision for the plot. Seven elements of good design guided their decisions. They needed to consider the function, site, hardscaping, microclimate, water management, plant selection and maintenance of their ideal home.
Function: The landscape designer asked questions to help determine which design would best support their interests and needs. Glenn and Anne were asked how they planned to use their garden. Did they plan to entertain? If so, where? Did they have any specific plants in mind?
The couple expressed a desire for an aesthetically pleasing garden that would also be water- efficient, sustainable, friendly to wildlife and care-free. In the front yard, which the public could see, they wanted an attractive landscape featuring plants with color, scent and texture. They also wanted to attract butterflies, bees and birds, and they wanted color in every season. The backyard was to be a place to contemplate, sit quietly, read a book and entertain.
Site: Since guests would park on the street, the home needed a walkway from the street to the front door. The couple parks their own vehicles in the driveway to the left of a house, so another walkway was needed from the front door to the driveway.
Hardscaping: When the project began, California was in the middle of a serious drought. To conserve rain water, a swale (a depression between slopes) and series of berms (an earthen embankment defining the swale) were added to the front garden to percolate moisture into the soil. A fountain was added for birds and butterflies and placed so that it can be seen from the front porch and window.
The backside of the house had several steps and levels. The homeowners decided to make the landscape two levels and use locally mined paving stones on the lower level to the creek edge. To protect the house from water, the paved area slants away from the house and toward the creek. Well-placed potted plants protect people from accidently moving to the edge of the creek.
Several trees were dug up. An olive tree was removed and given away. Two crepe myrtles were moved from the backyard to the front.
Microclimate: The front of the house faces south; the back faces north. With a southern exposure, the front tends to be hot in summer, making it a good site for plants that flourish with little water. The trees and boxwood hedges on both the east and west sides of the front garden create several microclimates requiring differing kinds of plants.
With its northern exposure, the backyard is cool and moist, with little variation in climate. It is ideal for water-loving plants.
Water management: Once the two levels were defined in the backyard, the grass was removed using the sheet-mulching method. In the fall, a plan for watering was devised. The design relies in two drip systems. The main pipes for the back were placed under the paving stones. Glenn chose a meter that he manually adjusts himself according to variations in rainfall and temperature.
Plant selection: As you enter the front walkway, the scent of night-blooming jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and mock orange (Philadelphus) greet you. At the base of the porch steps, pots of gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides), one on each side, add to the scent. Sun-loving California fuchsia (Epilodium) andmanzanita (Arctostaphylos spp) are among the plants that grow atop the berms that define the natural stone swale meandering through the garden. Both attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.
Below the boxwood (Buxus) are newly planted red-twig dogwoods (Cornus sericiae). In the corner below the porch is Anne's “conversation corner” shaded by the bloodgood Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). Other plants for the back garden include a fragrant flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum ‘White Icicle'), dwarf hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo') and prostrate rosemary covering the creek bank.
Maintenance: Anne and Glenn can keep up the garden themselves due to the low-maintenance design. When they need help for tasks like transplanting trees, they hire local people.
For an opportunity to be inspired and learn more, you can visit Glenn and Anne's' garden on Sunday, May 21. It is one of six Master Gardener-owned gardens featured on the U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County's “Discover Garden Magic” tour. Purchase tickets online at
http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=20204
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
Is the drought over? Not by a long shot. My well is at the same level as it was this time last year, so I will continue to conserve water. How do I do that? By growing drought-tolerant, native, Mediterranean-type plants.
I have been gardening with such plants for many years. Last summer was a test of how well they would do with no summer watering. I did not water at all over the summer and lost only one plant.
I have nine swales in my garden. A swale is a shallow trench used to harvest rainwater and slowly release it into the soil. Plants tap into this reserve when water is scarce. Swales conform to the contour of the soil and have berms alongside that can be used for planting.
Several natives that have done well in my garden are sticky monkey flower (Mimulus aurantiacus), lavenders of many types, bottlebrush (Callistemon), native iris, red-hot poker (Kniphofia ), butterfly bush (Buddleja), milkweed (Asclepias) and salvias. I have intentionally created a habitat garden with lots of room and bloom for birds, butterflies and bugs. Right now, my breadseed poppies are showing their beautiful red heads. I started these with just a few seeds, and they have re-seeded widely.
Some monkey flowers have sticky leaves; others do not. These plants are native to Oregon, California and Baja California. The flowers look like little monkey faces and come in a variety of colors. Many hybrids have been developed and the flower colors are outstanding. They bloom over a long period, survived all summer in my garden without water and are up and blooming now. The plants can reach three to four feet in height and can be trimmed back.
Lavender thrives in my garden. Last year some went to seed, and wind and birds spread the seed. Now lavender in many colors is sprouting in other areas. There is even a white one, and I guess I can thank the bees for that. I have never had white lavender before.
Bottlebrush is native to Austrialia. It can take the form of a large bush or tree depending on how it is pruned. I have a couple that I keep as low bushes.
The flower of the Pacific Coast iris (Iris douglasiana) is typically blue, but hybrids have many different flower colors. I have a beautiful white one. My Iris confusa ‘Chengdu' came from a Bay Area grower; it grows well in shade without any summer water. It is one of my favorites.
Salvias are native to many parts of the world. Every time I think I have all my favorites, new ones appear. One identifying feature of sage is its square stem. Some salvias tower over me (I am petite), while others stay low. There are more than 900 species worldwide, so I don't plan on collecting all of them. I only have one acre. Sage blossoms are spectacular, and the leaves are aromatic. I love to rub my hands over the leaves and then smell the fragrance.
I have many milkweeds in my garden. They are mostly drought tolerant, and bees and bugs love them. Milkweed is the only food source for the larvae of the Monarch butterfly, and I want to encourage as many of them as I can. The Monarchs in the western U.S. evolved with native milkweed; they lay their eggs on milkweed. Most milkweeds die back in winter and come up in spring with big, bright flowers. Their milky sap make the larvae taste bad to birds, so they leave the larvae alone.
When I visited Turkey, I saw breadseed poppies (Papaver orientale) everywhere, their red heads waving in the breeze. I also saw them in some of the countries on the Dalmatian coast. The seeds from these poppies are sprinkled on baked goods.
My two large habitat garden areas are filled with native plants and take less time and water then the lawn they replaced. Gardening with natives is a great strategy for creating a water-wise yet beautiful landscape.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will hold a workshop on “Oaks and Native Plants” on Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Skyline Park, 2201 Imola Avenue, Napa. Stroll Skyline Park and the Martha Walker Garden to view oaks in their native habitat. Discover what grows alongside and underneath oaks. Learn about planting under oak trees in your own garden, about caring for oaks and about Sudden Oak Death and other stresses. On-line registration (credit card only) Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only).
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.