Everybody wants their landscape to be low maintenance. Literally. Everybody. It’s only when we scratch below the surface of that universal desire that we find out there are as many definitions of “low maintenance” as there are ways to grow potatoes.
Amanda Borden will help us understand where our definition lies when she presents her April program on low maintenance landscape design. This is a huge subject. No one could hope to cover it in a one-hour program. So come with appropriate expectations.
You won’t know all the answers when the program is over, but in the best master gardener fashion, you will understand some key fundamental principles, and you will know where to look to find the answers that will work for your landscape.
That’s Tuesday, April 19 at 10:00 am in the Elmore County Extension Auditorium. Stick around after her talk for refreshments and the business meeting, which will be finished by noon.
Here are are the resources Amanda referenced during her talk:
Watch Amanda’s slide presentation again
Low Maintenance Landscaping – Sources
Eierman, Kim. “EcoBeneficial Gardening: Beyond Sustainability,” The National Gardener, Spring 2016.
“Xeriscaping,” The National Gardener, Spring 2015
“Low-Maintenance Landscape Ideas,” HGIC 1703, Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Hemenway, Toby. Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd ed. Chelsea Green, 2009.
Jackson, Hayes (ACES Regional Extension Agent). “Gardening in Dry Places” (Podcast #205, longleafbreeze.com). October 3, 2013.
Chaplin, Lois. The Southern Gardener’s Book of Lists: The Best Plants for All Your Needs, Wants, and Whims. Taylor Trade Publishing, 1994.
Powell, Jason. “Tough as Nails Plants for the South,” Lunch and Learn presentation, Elmore County Extension Auditorium. June 9, 2015.
“Alabama Smart Yards: Introducing Environmental Consciousness and Practical Management Options to our Yards and Neighborhoods,” ANR-1359, Alabama Cooperative Extension.
ACES Edible Landscape Workshop, Grace Episcopal Church, Pike Road, March 19, 2014.
Bender, Steve, and Felder Rushing. Passalong Plants. University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
Xeriscaping—Plants for Dry Places (Hayes Jackson, Urban Regional Extension Agent, Calhoun & Etowah Counties)
Agave
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Nolina (Nolina texana)
Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)
Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)
Maple Leaf Viburnum (viburnum acerifolium)
Aucuba (Aucuba japonica)
Mahonia (Mahonia spp.)
Liriope (Liriope genus)
Roof Iris (Iris tectorum)
Alabama Snow Wreath (Neviusia alabamensis)
Spirea (Spiraea spp.)
Sedums
Fringe Tree/Grancy Greybeard (Chionanthus virginicus)
Succulents
“Bullet-Proof”Plants for Southern Gardens (Jason Powell, Petals from the Past)
Reseeding Annuals—Larkspur, Poppies, Johnny Jump Up (Viola)
Bulbs—Leucojum (Snowflake), Narcissus (Ice Follies), Crinum
Antique Roses
Lenten Rose
Bears Breeches
Creeping Heliotrope
Red Hot Poker
Blue Star Amsonia
Blue Princess Verbena
Jerusalem Sage Phlomis
Salvia
Blackberry Lily
Chrysanthemum (Ryan’s Pink)
Herbs—Rosemary (Tuscan Blue), Bulbing Fennel, Catmint, Feverfew, Creeping Thyme (Lemon Mist), Texas Tarragon
Shrubs—French Hydrangea, Virginia Sweetspire, Spirea (Anthony Waterer)
Fruit—Blackberries, Blueberries, Figs
Roses—Early Hybrid Tea (Blossomtime), Texas Squarehead Primrose
Blackfoot Daisy
Spigelia (Indian Pink)
Blue Chaste Tree
Texas Star Hibiscus
Clematis
