In 2021, the Hay River Review ran a four-part series by Douglas Owens-Pike, about how to transform your yard into a more sustainable landscape. This series, listed below, is now available online for the first time.
Crafting Your Master Plan, Part One
By DKO Pike
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 2021 issue of the Hay River Review.
These cold winter days are made for sitting around the fire, reading a good book or perhaps downloading a movie; longing for the time when we could more easily gather and socialize. Our mild weather in November and December allowed me to accomplish a few more outdoor tasks. Yet, there is a downside to no snow. It makes it much harder for plants and animals that have adapted to thrive in deep snow, which insulates them from bitter cold.
Without much snow, we have an opportunity to get outside to start our master plan, imagining how we would like to transform the landscapes where we live and work. As the seasons progress from winter into spring, you will find a continuing series of articles here with all the planning and preparation steps recommended before planting new trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Your master plan begins with recording everything that is now present. This should include aspects you enjoy, as well as what you would prefer to screen from view. If you have a computer, you should be able to print an aerial image of your property. This is not essential, just a way to speed up your initial site map details. The “Google Earth” program allows you to measure distances as well as elevations. You can even travel back in time looking at how the land has been used over the past decades, from earlier aerial photos that are now easily accessible.
A favorite tool for site measurements is a 100-foot nylon tape. Using your smartphone or a compass, start at one property line and work your way across east to west or north to south. Rather than measuring between objects and adding up the total, it is more accurate to sight along the tape, recording one continuous set of numbers; then switch. Move your tape 90 degrees, perpendicular to the first transect.
This will yield a set of two coordinates for relevant trees, building corners, pavement edges, and existing gardens. These coordinate pairs can then be mapped on graph paper. Record both within your own property, plus those beyond, that influence how many hours of direct sunlight reach each area where you would like to make landscape changes. If you can see overhead lines, note them, as well as any buried utility lines.
Finally, note any grade changes. Soil should be sloped to move runoff away from buildings rather than toward them. Slope can be measured with a marble on a tray, 1-foot or 4-foot carpenter levels, or inexpensive line levels hanging from a string. You can use known property lines or just the paved edge of streets or fences. County property tax websites now have detailed maps showing precise boundaries.
Your base map will provide a wealth of information for future decisions. Now, start collecting images of landscape features you love or reject. This can be as easy as creating a folder on Pinterest and searching for what others have gathered. You can buy garden magazines and tear out what appeals to you according to both color and form. Gather as much information as you can.
Imagine the landscape where you grew up. You might find it helpful to include elements from those earliest memories of playing outside. What colors appeal to you? Are there sounds you recall? Scents? Any of those elements could be important to include in your final plan.
Crafting Your Master Plan, Part Two
By DKO Pike
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 2021 issue of the Hay River Review.
Last month, in Part One of “Crafting Your Master Plan,” we learned how to craft a base map. This month we tackle land shaping. It matters little what landscape you inherited. You can reverse or otherwise modify the surface flow to your benefit, and there is a diverse array of native plants you can add into these slope adjustments that would otherwise require irrigation.
Don’t think that you need to go out to rent a heavy machine to accomplish these results. It can be done in a day with a shovel and a wheelbarrow, or—if you're my age (66)—by hiring a young person to help.
Last month I mentioned the line level. Most hardware stores carry them for under $5.00. It’s just a couple of inches long with plastic clips to slide on a cord. You can use old tools like turning forks or spades stuck securely into the ground to anchor the line. Place one anchor out toward the limit of your project and the other close to your home foundation. The outer limit may be your property line, a paved surface (walk or drive), or the public easement right of way for your access road to your home. (If you are not sure, measure 30’ from the center of the roadway).
If you plant too close to the road, public authorities may disturb vegetation during utility or maintenance work and are not required to compensate you for your loss. You can still plant this zone, just be aware of this potential downside.
The advantage of using a long-handled shovel, spade, or turning fork to stretch your cord is that it can elevate the cord enough that it does not touch the ground at any point before reaching the outer limit. Hang the line-level near the middle of the cord length. Adjust the far end, away from your home until the bubble is in the middle of the line closer to your home. A full bubble of slope is even better if feasible. With a paper pad, pencil, and a measuring tape, move along the cord every foot or so, depending on how much the ground changes, to record the height of the line above the ground. Ideally, you will end with a healthy slope of an inch or so per four feet of run. Detailed measurements will show you where to shave off soil and where it can be added on top of the existing soil height.
Over time, soil usually settles around your home’s foundation. While the slope left at the time of construction may have been adequate, the slow process of settling can yield a negative slope from the drip line (or the end of your downspout back toward your home and your basement).
If your home is a slab on grade it is still important to move surface water about ten feet away before encouraging that runoff to soak in. If you have a heavy clay soil, even greater than ten feet is recommended. If you have roof gutters with functioning downspouts and a substantial overhang (over one foot), it is still important to ensure this positive slope away. This caution is due to our more frequent major rain events (six to ten inches of rain in 24 hours or less).
Without adding much larger rain gutters and downspouts the standard 2x3” pipes are quickly overwhelmed. The overflow will drop next to your home and possibly flood your basement. It is a good idea to place clear Plexiglas covers over window wells to help reduce the potential of them filling with water in these storms. There have been several of these rain events in our area within just the past five years.
In addition to harvesting the water flowing off your home’s roof, you can shape the soil to capture pavement runoff as well. Again, shovel work. Just make sure the soil level is below the height of the impervious surface. If it seems like too much work, you can simplify by cutting 3’ wide gentle V cuts to guide the water to a place it can soak in. These shallow depressions are called rain gardens. Ideally, you will have no standing water within two days of the rain event. Otherwise, it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes who may carry serious diseases to us.
The way to ensure your rain garden drains properly is to first test the percolation rate. Dig a 12” wide hole at least 12” deep. Once you establish that new basin you want to ensure the water will soak in. Fill that 12x12” hole with water. Wait for it to drain away. Then fill it once again.
Have a board or tool handle across the top and a tape measure ready to measure water level drop over the next few minutes to several hours, until the water is gone. This will give you a clue as to how much aeration or compost will need to be added to ensure the best drainage before the new plants do their work.
The advantage of long-lived native perennials is that they keep adding new roots that go very deep. As older roots die they decay and those soil openings serve as straws, drawing water down to roots that can access that water between rain events. Rain garden percolation improves with time unless the surface becomes sealed from silt or clay runoff.
Soil that is excavated can be used on steeper slopes to keep water from quickly rushing away, serving as small check dams. You don’t want to add soil next to your home unless you can maintain a six-inch gap between the top of the mulch (2” above the soil) and the bottom edge of home siding (unless you have non-porous brick). It is important to treat cement or brick with a waterproofing product to minimize water soaking into the foundation before adding soil against that wall.
Next is tackling how to get rid of the lawn that you have not disturbed in this land-shaping process.
Crafting Your Master Plan, Part 3
By DKO Pike
This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of the Hay River Review.
This has been a winter to remember. With a long spell of days with highs below zero, it has been frustrating not to be able to ski on that fresh powder. Next week, highs above freezing will make the snow too soft for enjoyable skiing. I hope that you have been able to take advantage of the best conditions, whenever possible. Winter is now interrupted too often by freezing rain or mid-winter thaws.
In the first two installments of Crafting Your Master Plan we covered how to measure your site for an accurate base map to work from, and shaping the land to move water where it will provide the greatest benefits for your new landscape. This month we explore methods to prepare the ground (for seed or transplants) to replace your former lawn.
The most critical element in establishing your new garden vision is the ability to control weeds, turf, or other plants that had been growing onsite. If you have already shaved off sod, or added fill to slow water runoff, it is best to cover bare soil with a temporary weed barrier to reduce weed maintenance in the future. Leaving soil bare invites weed seeds to germinate. Commonly used plastic weed barriers are not effective over the long run. Mulch added between new plants breaks down into soil and lays on top of that plastic barrier, never decomposing. Temporary weed barriers have the advantage of breaking down, allowing your new plants to fill the gaps between transplants.
There are several different temporary weed barrier options: Newsprint, specially-designed paper weed barriers, Kraft paper for larger projects, and cardboard. Each of these needs to be weighted with a light layer of wood mulch. I prefer shredded hardwood to chipped wood. The shredded product resists floating and drifting down into your new rain garden during a heavy rain event. While mulch alone minimizes this potential weed problem, it is far more effective if there is a base layer beneath the mulch to block light from reaching the soil.
Temporary weed barriers can also block light to undisturbed sod, effectively smothering that former carpet of green, as well as minimizing weed seed germination. Your selection will depend on what was previously growing in that area, and how much water flows there. Turf that was maintained with minimum weeds can be smothered with multiple layers of newsprint. The sections should overlap to avoid gaps and ultimately number twenty layers thick.
If you must block more vigorous weeds, or if it is an area you expect to stay wet longer after rainfalls, you should consider cardboard. Larger pieces make this work go faster. Check out local appliance stores to see if they have any boxes that have not yet been baled.
Another product, now available at many garden centers, is labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable” weed barrier. This will be a Kraft weight paper that is rolled out far more easily than dealing with newsprint or cardboard.
If you have a large project, consider ordering rolls of Kraft paper from Bailey Forestry Supply. They refer to this product as “Clean Burn”. The paper resists water and can stand up to the weight of snow. It is used to cover brush piles left from logging waste. Keeping the snow out allows a clean burn in the middle of winter when fire danger is low. Combining your order with neighbors can lower costs when ordering this product. The more you order, the lower your unit cost. The rolls are easily managed as they are four feet wide by 300’ long. You will need to overlap 12”. Therefore, to calculate how many rolls you need you can estimate each roll will cover 3’ x 300’ or 900 square feet. That is about 30’ x 30’.
Black poly sheeting is a method superior to temporary weed barriers when you are establishing a new garden with vigorous, perennial weeds, such as reed canary grass. Install poly sheeting by digging a trench approximately 3 inches deep, around the perimeter of your project. If your sheet is not wide enough to cover the full project you can tackle it in sections, over several years. Dig the trench using the longest dimension of your project. The two side trenches will be the width of your sheet. You can also cover an area in a single season with multiple sheets.
The best time to start this poly sheet method is at the end of summer. This will interrupt the flow of sugars from leaves to roots. Spring will work, but the grass or weeds will be more vigorous, requiring a longer period of cover.
Hold down the edges of the poly by laying it in your shallow trench and cover over the edge with the removed soil. (This is far better than fighting the wind, working to lift your cover. Better to do it right with the first effort than struggle during the full growing season). You should not remove this cover until the heat of the summer has passed.
If you would like to expand the area you are covering with poly sheeting after the first year you can remove the soil from the outer three edges and fold it over onto itself, pulling it across itself and toward the center of your project. Stretch the sheeting all the way out from the anchored edge. Dig new trenches to secure the three edges that you moved.
Minimize disturbance of the soil after removing the poly. The heat of the sun will have killed weed seed at the surface, but not deeper down in the soil column. It is possible to sow your new seed on top of this bare soil without significant effort. Planting transplants is also possible.
If you use a biodegradable weed barrier you will not be able to sow seed by broadcasting. Do not remove the paper and mulch. Simply cut holes large enough for the root system of your selected plants.
Creating Your Master Plan, Part 4
By DKO Pike
This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of the Hay River Review.
This series of articles on creating your own master plan began in January with the premise that we can all assist in reducing our impact on the world around us as we recreate native habitat. This is critically important. Native plant communities dominated this area when settled by European ancestors two centuries ago. Today, that habitat is reduced to managed woodlots, corners of cultivated fields left undisturbed, and some road ditches.
We see more construction disrupting those woodlots. As these new homes are completed the surrounding soil is graded to move roof runoff away from the basement, and diverse forest groundcover plants replaced with sterile sod. The impact of this reduced habitat, along with our changing climate, can be measured in the precipitous drop in songbird and pollinator numbers.
A more sustainable approach includes shaping the ground to ensure rainfall soaks into the ground, rather than adding to stormwater runoff surging down our rivers, and adding to erosion problems. Rain gardens can be planted with a mix of native grasses and flowers, which can tolerate both extended drought and temporary flooding. We are fortunate to have several growers of native plants in our region who can supply us with the right plants for these demanding sites.
We can also look to our existing lawns. By critically evaluating how much they are used for active play, we can pull in the edges to reduce the amount of time mowing while providing more native habitat for increasingly endangered birds, butterflies, and other essential pollinators.
Once you have made your decision regarding where rain gardens and lawn edges will be added, you can move to the next level of design: what to plant. You will need to assess if you like your current views out critical windows from your home, or if there is a need to plant a green screen. Be sure to welcome the low winter sun into south facing windows to allow maximum natural heating.
No tall evergreens should be planted within 200 feet of the south wall of your home. Evergreen screens are most welcome to the northwest of your home. There, they have the dual advantage of blocking both the setting summer sun and our coldest, strongest winter winds.
After deciding if you would prefer trees, shrubs, or flowers and grasses in any one area of your plan, you can then evaluate the three most important factors for what will thrive in the existing conditions. If you choose the right plants, they will survive with the least care once they become established. Some watering is often required during the first two growing seasons. Native species do not require any fertilization, though generous applications of compost help improve all soil conditions.
Here are the top three factors for planting decisions:
How many hours of direct sunlight fall on that location? This is an ideal time of year, close to our spring equinox, to check the shade pattern of existing tree branches. It is also important to estimate the growth of existing trees, thinking years into the future, to provide the best guess as to whether to plant species that prefer shade (less than three hours of direct sun), part-shade (3-6 hours), or full sun (six or more hours).
What is the texture of your soil? Dig up a handful and work it with your bare hands. If it feels gritty and falls apart easily you have a well-drained sand. If it is smooth but not sticky you have silt. If it will form a ribbon when squeezed between your thumb and index finger you have clay. No matter the texture, there are plants that have adapted to your conditions. You do not need to bring in new soil. Tilling compost into the soil will bring any soil closer to the ideal mix of sand, silt and clay to form a loam. Compaction can be reduced by boring into the soil or dragging a deep bar to bust up years of vehicle and people traffic that crush soil structure.
The final factor is water availability. This is predicted by the amount of sun and soil type along with surface flow that you can modify as described in the February issue of this series. Some plants prefer mostly dry conditions, others require the soil to stay damp to waterlogged. Rather than creating soil to match your desired plants, it is far easier, less expensive, and more sustainable to pick plants that match how much water is available. This can save you lots of time in the future, reducing the need to irrigate even during extended drought.
The good news is that several of our local nurseries have plant decision tools to help you make the right plant selections. Here are two examples:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/plants (click on “filter options” to select your criteria) and https://www.prairienursery.com/ (click on “plants and seed” and then the category that best fits).
Happy planting as we celebrate the arrival of spring weather and thawing soil.
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