Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: A deer-resistant, drought-tolerant hummingbird haven. In it, I profile Master Gardener Janice Sather and her challenging garden in the Painted Hills area of Spokane Valley.
She lives on a sloping lot, has rocky soil and gets a lot of deer coming into her garden. She wisely decided to go with a xeriscape style of landscape, which involves the selection and use of native and drought-tolerant plants. Her garden has really turned out nicely.
The photo above is of Janice walking along a path through through her backyard. The photo to the left is in her front yard and shows a wonderful raised bed (no bending required!), where she's growing tomato plants and other veggies. And the photo below, taken from her deck, shows of one of her wood-framed raised beds. Even though the bed is located in an area of the backyard where there's no fence for protection from the deer, she has hung a "curtain" of netting on the vulnerable side of the bed and says it works real well.
During the interview, Janice mentioned that she likes to buy her native and drought-tolerant plants from Desert Jewels Nursery in Spokane, Plants of the Wild in Tekoa, Wash., and at Friends of Manito plant sales. I should have also let readers know that Blue Moon Nursery, which is located at 1732 S. Inland Empire Way in Spokane, is the local retail outlet for Plants of the Wild and carries many drought-tolerant and native plants. So don't forget to pay them a visit when you're looking for these types of plants. Their phone number is (509) 747-4255.
I didn't have enough room in my column to list all of the plants she's had the most success with so here it is. If you think it's very limiting going with drought-tolerant plants, you are in for a big surprise. Thank you, Janice, for sharing your garden as well as your challenges with us!
Drought-tolerant
plants
Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa)*
Beardtongue (Penstemon)*
Blue flax (Linum lewisii)
Buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia)*
Bluebeard (Caryopteris)
Catmint (Nepeta)*
Coneflower (Rudbeckia)
Desert olive (Forestiera neomexicana)
Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria mellifolium)*
Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea)*
Hummingbird mint (Agastache)*
Hummingbird trumpet (Zauschneria)
Lavender (Lavandula)
Mock orange (Philadelphus)
Mojave sage (Salvia pachyphylla)
Ocean spray (Holodiscus discolor)
Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)*
Oregano, ornamental (Origanum)
Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus)
Sage (Salvia)*
Skullcap (Scutilleria)*
Stonecrop (Sedum)*
Spirea
Sumac, oakleaf (Rhus trilobata)*
Rose, woods (Rosa woodsii)
Yarrow (Achillea)
* = most deer resistant
She lives on a sloping lot, has rocky soil and gets a lot of deer coming into her garden. She wisely decided to go with a xeriscape style of landscape, which involves the selection and use of native and drought-tolerant plants. Her garden has really turned out nicely.
I didn't have enough room in my column to list all of the plants she's had the most success with so here it is. If you think it's very limiting going with drought-tolerant plants, you are in for a big surprise. Thank you, Janice, for sharing your garden as well as your challenges with us!