September 24th

12 noon at Ploughshares Nursery

“Fall Planting Success”

(How to install and care for drought tolerant and native plants in the best season for ornamental gardening)

In 1607 they knew something about gardening we have forgotten.  They understood the rhythm of the seasons, when rain would come and when conditions were right to plant ornamental and edible plants.  They had to know these things because they didn’t have irrigation systems like we do today.  The wonder of modern irrigation technology gives us flower gardens in deserts, but unfortunately our reliance on irrigation technology not only consumes more resources than necessary, it also has a nasty tendency to facilitate disease and promote deficiencies in root development which make plants susceptible to drought stress or shortens the lifetime of woody natives.  You won’t need irrigation if you plant the right plant, the right time of year, the right way.

Join Ploughshare’s staff for a workshop demonstrating how to properly install low water needs native and non-native specimens, monitor water needs of new plantings and insure new additions to the garden are drought resistant or even independent of irrigation by next warm season.  Proper planting, fertilizing, pest control and maintenance will also be topics of discussion, as well as how to judge if winter weather is benefiting or stressing new plantings.