DIY Network

Reconciling Your Lawn to Climate Change

Master gardener Maureen Gilmer, host of Weekend Gardening, explains how to reconcile our lawns to what's going on in the environment.

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	There are Eastern, Midwestern and Far West species of redbud that are spectacular three out of four seasons. (All photos courtesy of Maureen Gilmer)
	California is home to over 40 species of penstemon, a beloved perennial wildflower for gardens.
	Many natives such as blue ceanothus are every bit as showy as water-thirsty exotics.
	Dozens of manzanita species can be found in native plant communities from coast to coast.

Rather than trying to control nature, here are ways to work with her

By Maureen Gilmer

May 28, 2007 — Some say we are forever going into or coming out of an ice age. But whether climate change is just further exit from the last ice age or something else entirely, it means rethinking the way we use water resources.

With population rising, we see water availability growing more stressed in areas never before seen as drought stricken. And if this is the beginning of a nationwide trend, it's time we take a more critical look at our home water use.

One source of water waste is trying to force plants to grow where there's insufficient rainfall to support them naturally. Another is the way we grow plants, such as lawns, which are an unnatural, water and chemical-intensive monoculture.

American cities are surrounded by natural wildlands rich in beautiful plants that grow all by themselves. If we created landscapes from these species rather than needy exotics, we'd have our own little self-sustaining ecosystem. Better yet, there'd be far fewer weekends spent mowing and manicuring.

To reconcile our lawns to what's going on in the environment, the first step is to take a look at locally adapted plants. These include trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, grasses and wildflowers that grow all by themselves within your local climate zone. When you plant them in your yard, they become automatically super-adapted, resisting drought, disease and pests, the way nature intended.

Some of the most profound examples of these are the fabulous rhododendrons and azaleas of the Carolina mountains or maple trees of New England. Coneflowers shine on the Midwestern prairies, while iris bloom in the swamps of the Deep South. Blue spruce cloak the Rocky Mountains, silver lupine hugs the slopes of California foothills and saguaro cactus towers over the Arizona desert.

Botanists and horticulturists believe this is the future of the American landscape. They have banded together to create native plant societies to promote climate-conscious landscaping. The groups are often associated with universities, botanical gardens and arboretums in your community where locally native plants are grown for demonstration, studied and propagated.

These societies also have links to small independent growers who specialize in native plants. Some are dedicated to particular groups or genera they handle better than anyone else. In fact, because some of the most spectacular natives never make it into garden centers, these are the only place you'll find them.

At native plant society websites you'll find references to the best books on local natives for their individual states. That illustrates the real issue here — that native plants are so regionally specific that national books hardly apply at all. Plus, field guides don't offer much because they're designed to tell you how to identify natives in habitat. The best books to choose direct you to the native plants proven garden worthy. They won't be overly finicky and will adapt to more varied conditions.

Thanks to the New England Wild Flower Society, we have an excellent database of state native plant societies. Log on to their site at www.newfs.org/nps.htm. This listing features every state society as well as their e-mail contact and website.

The one thing we can count on is the fact that Earth's climate changes. Change wiped out the dinosaurs, it dried up the seas, and it has inundated whole continents. Rather than try to control Nature, perhaps its time we lent a hand and worked with her fickle nature rather than against it.

(Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of Weekend Gardening. E-mail her at mo@moplants.com. For more information, visit: www.moplants.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)

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