Madrone Landscapes Informative
Landscape Topics Over the years, Rick Mathews has written articles, given
seminars, and lectures. Here are some of the articles he has written,
and would like to share with you. We hope that you will find the
information valuable.
Please contact Madrone Landscapes if you have questions about how
to make your landscape work better for you!
What is sustainable
landscaping? by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes Published in the Tribune, March 30, 2002.
How do the principles of sustainability relate to our gardens? Let's
take a look at:
what a sustainable garden would be
the principles that guide a sustainable landscape design approach
the inputs and outputs that comprise such gardens some examples
along the way, of both what to do and what not to do.
Landscape architect Owen Dell asks us to: "Imagine a garden that
rarely needs pruning, watering or fertilizing. One where natural
controls usually take care of pest problems before the gardener
even becomes aware of them. A peaceful garden where the sounds of
blowers, power mowers, or chain saws never intrude.
Imagine a garden that also serves as a climate control for the house,
keeping it cool in summer and warm in winter; a garden that traps
rainwater in an attractive streambed to deeply irrigate the trees
and recharge the groundwater; one that provides habitat for wildlife
and food for people.
Imagine a garden that truly works. This is the sustainable garden
-- not barren or sacrificial, but as lush and beautiful as any other
without all the struggle and waste." Sustainable landscaping is
low-impact landscaping, resource efficient, minimally polluting,
stable over time, in harmony with local environment all aspects
helping to reduce energy inputs and outputs.
One of the most important things I hope you can get from this discussion
is encouragement to get out and enjoy your gardens. They offer unique
opportunities to unwind and relieve stress, to reconnect with things
natural, beautiful and up close.
Realize how even in our gardens we are connected in a very real
way to the larger landscape. That realization includes the responsibility
to do our part to sustain the health and beauty of our beloved Central
Coast. Making our gardens more sustainable is a good step in that
direction.
Landscape Design
by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes
How do we make our gardens more sustainable? To begin with, we should
start with a plan.
This plan should include an analysis of the site, which considers
the various environmental factors involved, such as soil, exposure,
wind, slope and drainage, water and existing vegetation.
The proposed use of the site is obviously vital to consider, including
the users. How will it be used by children, teens, adults, seniors,
physically challenged... and how about pets? Here also is the wish
list regarding the functions of the landscape.
Materials for the
Resource Efficient Garden
by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes
There are so many things one can do in the landscape, and along
with the functional features, one must consider the materials needed
to create your landscape.
This has to do with style, as well as function, not to mention budget.
It also has much to do with resource efficiency, a cornerstone of
the sustainable landscape. Re-used materials, or materials found
on site can often be incorporated into the landscape to beautiful
effect.
For example:
used brick
broken concrete
used lumber
railroad ties or other timbers
boulders and rocks
Recycled products are making huge strides into the landscape and
construction industries. One can only get the feeling that we've
just scratched the surface of finding uses for recycled materials.
So the sources of our resources are important to consider. How were
they produced? Our friend Owen Dell asks us to "consider the 'embodied
energy' of the materials: the total energy that is required to produce
and deliver the material to you.
Minimally processed materials like lumber and decomposed granite
and gravel have a relatively low embodied energy (though extraction
issues remain), while things like new bricks, tile and concrete
have a higher embodied energy. Ask where things come from and consider
the impact your purchase will have at the source."
We mentioned extraction issues. A couple of examples are the strip-mining
for decomposed granite, or clear-cutting and old-growth issues for
forest products like lumber and premium fir-bark, which then must
be shipped hundreds of miles to the market. Locally produced mulch
from tree crews often serves just as well as fir or redwood, at
a fraction of the cost and impact to the environment.
What's in Your Soil?
by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes Soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of any landscape. Soils problems
can really hamper the success of a garden. Whether to add large
amounts of organic amendments to planting areas or simply emphasize
proper tilth, drainage and plant choices.
Depending on your needs all of these issues must be examined. Soil
tests are often very useful and are becoming more widely used and
less expensive.
Compost
It is safe to say that organic compost won't usually hurt your garden.
On the contrary, composting garden and kitchen wastes is great for
amending the soil, and for recycling what shouldn't be considered
garbage. Greenwaste accounts for up to 30% of residential trash
headed for landfills.
Mulch
Mulch is extremely valuable in making your garden more sustainable.
How? Mulch covers and cools the soil, conserves moisture, suppresses
weed growth, slows erosion and adds nutrients as it decomposes.
It also hides and protects drip lines. And to most eyes it looks
good.
Be careful not to leave mulch on the stems and trunks of plants,
so as to avoid moisture-related fungus and bacteria problems.
Plants and other Green
Issues
by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes
Plants
We all love the plants. They are the most visible things in the
garden and what people care most about. The sustainability of a
garden is greatly affected by plant choices. One important concept
to remember is how plants are grouped.
Exposed hillsides should be planted with xeriphytic (drought-tolerant)
plants with massive root systems for erosion control. Water lovers
should be in shady corners. Turf border areas, if planted, should
have plants compatible in terms of water and soil needs.
Plant density is also an issue. Planting less densely can help match
the biomass to the carrying capacity of the land.
Turf
Reduce turf areas. 20% of total landscape area as turf has been
used in the past as a guideline. Less turf means less water, fertilizer,
pesticides, mowing, edging, etc. While an individual may be able
to afford all the lawn he or she wants, oversized lawns irresponsibly
strain our regional resources and should be discouraged.
Native Plants
I wholeheartedly advocate the use of native plants in our gardens.
The benefits of using our local plants go far beyond their obvious
suitability in terms of climate, water use, soil and fertilization
issues and so forth. In fact, I would say that use of and interest
in understanding our native flora can begin to deal with cultural
and philosophical issues that are more vital to us than we may recognize.
Most landscapes are going to need some supplemental water to remain
healthy and attractive. The key here is efficiency. Efficiency means
lower water bills and a healthier garden.
Plant selection, density and grouping, as mentioned, play a big
role. Consider drip irrigation. It is efficient, easy to work with
and cheap. It is not perfect. There are emitter coverage issues
especially in sandy soils. Drip systems are vulnerable to damage.
The emitters, pipe and fittings can wear out, get brittle and break.
Pressure variations can be a problem.
Even with these drawbacks, drip and low-flow irrigation often offer
the best alternative for irrigating most of the garden most efficiently.
It uses only a fraction of the water of spray systems, delivering
it to the exact location needed.
But a caution here... Observe your drip system often... not only
for the occasional leak but, for effectiveness and efficiency. Keep
the emitters applying water to the root zone evenly over time as
the plant grows. This will require additional emitters and adjusting
where the water goes.
It has been estimated that 80% of the total cost of a garden over
its life span is for maintenance. That means 20% for design and
construction. Using sustainable principles and practices will undoubtedly
go far in reducing maintenance costs.
Reduce chemical use by integrated pest management techniques to
control critters and weeds. This common-sense approach stresses
using the least toxic solutions first, before escalating to chemical
warfare. Mow that small lawn higher. Recycle the clippings into
compost. Grind up your tree and shrub prunings. But there shouldn't
be a lot because you designed plants that fit their intended space
and don't need much pruning. Don't top trees. It encourages faster,
poorly structured growth.
Mulch. A 2-inch to 3-inch layer throughout the planting area gives
us so much. In this case that means less. Less evaporation, less
heat on roots during the day, less cold during the night, less erosion
and runoff, less compaction, less vulnerability of drip lines, and
less need for fertilization as the mulch decomposes. Water wisely
and intelligently, and don't rely solely on automatic controllers.
Observe and participate in what's going on out there.
Learning to Live Among
the Oaks (first published in SLO County Gazette Weekend,
April 13, 2000)
by Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscapes
Just as a healthy community consists of people of all ages, a healthy
urban or community forest must also have trees of all ages. (While
we are discussing trees here, it should be mentioned that they are
only the most obvious members of our incredibly diverse local ecosystems.)
While the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) seems to be regenerating
in adequate numbers, this is not the case with Valley Oaks (Quercus
lobata) and Blue Oaks (Quercus douglasii). Regeneration rates for
both species are alarmingly low.
Fire hazard abatement, development, agricultural clearing, grazing,
wildlife predation and wildland fires are a few of the reasons for
these regeneration problems. Many of these can be corrected through
the efforts of an aware community, dedicated to protect their native
forests. We all love these mighty oaks that so beautifully define
the character of California's Central Coast, but we cannot continue
to take them for granted.
Oak woodlands are disappearing at a rate of about 14,000 acres a
year statewide, according to the California Oak Foundation. Add
to that the insufficient regeneration rates of several oak species,
and we appear to face the disappearance of these trees before we
know it. The Atascadero Native Tree Association encourages everyone
to join in and take the responsibility of helping regenerate the
growth of our oaks, so that the next generation of these trees,
along with all the other plants and critters, are here for future
generations of Central Coast residents to enjoy.
Here's what you can do around your homes, to actively protect native
trees as seedlings throughout the year:
Spring
Look around your property for new seedlings and install shelters
where trees are desired.
Hand-weed around the seedlings before fire hazard abatement, and
mulch.
Summer
Check mulch, and water when necessary.
Fall
Collect acorns for later planting. Locate and stake established
seedlings and install shelters.
Winter
Plant those acorns you collected in the fall. Carefully weed around
seedlings and again, check the mulch.
