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PLANTS HAVE A POWERFUL EFFECT ON PEOPLE. We love their scents and textures, the way they move in the wind, their fruits and flowers and the birds and insects they attract. We enjoy the patterns of light and shadow they create, and the way they grow and change with the seasons.
Properly designed and installed, landscaping can also provide practical low-cost solutions to a number of site problems. Plants can control dust, prevent soil erosion, block the wind, provide shade, attenuate sound and increase privacy. It’s no wonder that gardening is the number one hobby in the United States.
Landscaping is one of the few improvements that adds more value to real estate than it costs to install. Landscaping improves “curb appeal,” that important first impression a buyer gets when they see your house. If you plan to sell your house this year, landscaping is one of the most practical and cost-effective things you can do to prepare your home for the prime selling season which extends from spring through fall.
Quality landscapes take time. Some of the great gardens in England were designed to mature in 100 years or more – well beyond the lifetime of the owner or designer. Appropriate, well-designed landscaping increases in value over time. With landscaping, value is directly related to size and permanence. Trees add the most value, followed by long-lived flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons and camellias. Short-lived plants, such as perennials and Mediterraneans, add less value. Annual bedding plants and vegetable gardens, which have to be replaced every year, add the least value. A good strategy is to plant a combination of trees, shrubs and perennials, and remove the short-lived plants as the long-lived ones mature. This requires some good planning and judicious spacing.
Although we can work in our gardens all year round, fall is the best time for planting on the Mendocino Coast. The winter rains provide moisture while the soil retains warmth for root growth. Whatever you plant in the fall has a head start on the spring and summer growing season.
The Mendocino Coast Climate
The Mendocino Coast has one of the most plant-friendly climates in the world. After all, this is the home of the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), the tallest and one of the most long-lived trees on earth. Our unusual climate, characterized by cool dry summers and mild rainy winters, is similar to South Africa’s Cape Province, one of the most botanically rich areas on earth. Many plants which can’t be grown outdoors anywhere else in North America thrive in our coastal gardens – tender hybrid rhododendrons, heathers, fuchsias and tuberous begonias, to name a few.
Take a stroll around the village of Mendocino where water is scarce and few plants have experienced the luxury of irrigation. What you see today is what has survived without summer water – old roses from Europe, tower of jewels (Echium) from the Azores, amaryllis and watsonia from South Africa and tea trees (Leptospermum) from Australia and New Zealand.
Consult the Experts
Before attempting any landscape job yourself, seek advice from local nursery people, gardeners and landscapers. They know what to plant, how to plant it and where to find it. Like amateur construction, amateur landscaping adds only a fraction of its potential value. Even for modest landscaping jobs, it pays to seek the advice of local experts. It’s also wise to buy from local retail nurseries and wholesale growers.
One reason to get professional help is that its almost impossible for most people to plant anything far enough apart. The trees and shrubs are so small when we buy them at the nursery it’s hard to imagine how big they’ll get when they’re full grown. One approach is to plant at half spacing and then remove every other plant as they grow.
For maximum value, the quality of the landscape should match the quality of your house. In some cases it may be worth the extra cost and effort to bring in mature landscape specimens. On the Mendocino Coast, large rhododendrons are the best choice for transplanting. Surprisingly, rhododendrons can be successfully transplanted even when they’re quite old and large, because they have shallow pancake-like root systems. Trees and other large, deep-rooted plants require specialized equipment and experienced contractors to transplant.
Pruning and Tree Removal
It’s best to let your plants express their natural form and give them room to grow. Restrained, tasteful and appropriate pruning is an art which few people have mastered. If you have older trees and shrubs on your property which are neglected or overgrown, consider hiring an expert to prune them. Corrective pruning can make an old landscape look new again. An ongoing pruning program is essential to maintain the appearance and value of your plants. Winter is usually the best time to prune because the plants are dormant and the pruner can see the structure of the branches better on deciduous plants which have shed their leaves.
If a tree is too big or too tall for your property, remove it and replace it with something more appropriate. Topping trees ruins their appearance and eventually kills them. Pollarding (cutting a large tree back to stumps) is an expert pruning technique which is rarely done well. My favorite trees for coastal landscapes are the native shore pine (Pinus contorta) and pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica). They grow quickly, are drought tolerant, wind resistant, attract birds and wildlife, accept pruning and shaping, are large enough to provide screening but small enough that they won’t fall on your house.
If there is a large tree near your house you want to remove, an experienced tree climber can drop the tree in small sections without damaging nearby structures. Some tree climbers specialize in “lacing out” old trees by removing the dead and dangerous branches.
Mulch
Be generous with mulch. Mulch is any coarse organic material such as chips, pine needles or straw which you apply as a top dressing around plants. Mulch conserves water, suppresses weeds, cools the root zone and provides ongoing soil amendment. Mulch is not the same as compost. Mulch sits on top of the ground while compost is fine composted organic material which you incorporate into the soil. Because mulch gradually decomposes into compost, it requires periodic renewal.
One of the most common landscape problems I see is stunted shrubs and trees planted in lawns with grass growing right up to their trunks. Their roots are struggling to compete with the turf for water and nutrients and the grass is literally choking them to death. One of the best things you can do for your plants is to remove a circle of turf around them and replace it with a thick mulch of wood chips, pine needles, straw or shredded bark. You will see remarkable growth and improvement during the spring and summer growing season.
Deer-Problems
I once asked an old-time coast resident how he kept the deer out of his beautiful garden. “Smoke,” he said. “I shoot ‘em and then I smoke ‘em.” Deer can be hard on the landscaping, but most people today wouldn’t think of hurting them. There are very few plants that deer won’t eat, and almost no completely effective deer repellents.
Deer especially love members of the rose family, which includes roses, berry bushes and apple trees. It’s worth the effort to protect your prize roses or dwarf apple trees from the deer with a seven-foot fence. Plant full-sized apple trees within temporary fences until they outgrow the deer’s reach. Deer are browsers – they don’t spend a lot of time on any one plant. You can minimize their damage by planting a lot of each kind of plant, so there’s enough for you and the deer. Also, deer tend to prefer young tender plants. As plants mature, the deer tend to leave them alone.
Grading and Drainage
Before you start a new or major landscape job, make sure your property is well-drained. Water should drain away from your house and not run under it. Consider having your property professionally graded. Slopes of less than one percent (typically found in the pygmy forest) tend to create standing water conditions. Slopes greater than 10 percent don’t permit normal human activities or roads and can be eroded by runoff.
Raised beds work well on pygmy forest lands and other poorly-drained soils. Professional landscapers can solve many other drainage problems by the use of subdrains. Don’t bury stumps and other organic debris – they will eventually rot and create sink holes.
When it’s necessary to grade down to mineral earth, set aside the dark-colored topsoil for landscaping. Otherwise, you will have to build up the soil again by incorporating composted organic material. Hauling in topsoil is usually unnecessary. Maintaining a thick layer of mulch will also improve the structure and quality of the soil over time.
Invasive Exotics
Identify any invasive exotics on your property and remove them. These local plant pests include pampas grass, eucalyptus, ice plant, gorse, scotch broom and even some kinds of ivy. Mild-mannered in their native countries, invasive plants have no local competition and easily overwhelm the native species. They will lower your property value and spread to neighboring lands if left unchecked. For help with invasive exotics, call the California Native Plant Society or the University of California Cooperative Extension. The community of Caspar is taking the lead in local gorse removal techniques.
Water Conservation
Design your landscape with water conservation in mind. Rainfall and groundwater are scarce on the Mendocino Coast during the growing season, just when plants need water the most. Plants adapted to summer drought do well in our climate with little maintenance. Drip irrigation systems, automatic timers and heavy mulch can save a lot of water and weeding. Replace or reduce the size of your lawn. Consider a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant ground cover and incorporate native plants into your landscape as much as possible.
Protect Your House
You shouldn’t let large plants grow up against your house for the same reason you shouldn’t stack firewood against it. Organic materials can harbor insect pests which damage your house. Large plants can also make it difficult to paint and maintain your siding. In our humid climate, plants can interfere with air circulation and encourage rot and fungus. Don’t let ivy and other climbers grow up the side of your house unless your house is made of stone, concrete or brick. If you want a wisteria vine, build a trellis away from your house.
Some types of trees and shrubs can be a fire hazard. Don’t let them grow too close to your house, especially your chimney or stove pipe. In remote areas it’s a good idea to maintain a 30-foot fire resistant area around your house, removing highly flammable vegetation, dry debris and deadwood.
For more landscaping ideas, get a copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book – one of the best general plant reference books available for our area. Visit private and public gardens at various times of the year and write down the names of the plants you like and note how big they get. Visit local nurseries and ask questions. Go on garden tours and attend the shows put on by local plant societies. Join the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and take their classes.
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