Information archive — landscape features
People generally want a range of features in their yard such as a patio, shed, bird bath and feeder, food garden, and ornamental or native plant area. Along with food gardens, this section provides information on some other lesser utilized features your lot may already have, or you may want to add to be more wildlife friendly.
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Food Gardens
Some basics to get you started with vegetable gardening.
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Crop Rotation in home Vegetable Gardens — WSU Extension, Snohomish County.
Crop rotation is important, and the same no matter where the garden is located.
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Crop Rotation in home Vegetable Gardens — WSU Extension, Snohomish County.
Crop rotation is important, and the same no matter where the garden is located.
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Fall & Winter Vegetables for Western WA — WSU Extension, Snohomish County.
Good list of plants and when to plant them.
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Organic Pest Control in the Vegetable Garden
— WSU Extension, King County Master Gardener Program. -
Pest Control in Home Vegetable Gardens
— WSU Extension.The NBB program encourages non-chemical solutions to pests if at all possible. However, if you are going to use chemical pesticides, this is the WSU approved list of list of pests and the chemicals that control them.
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Cover Crops & Fertilization
Cover crops are an important part of vegetable gardening, and they are also helpful while transitioning a lawn into ornamental garden.
- Cover Crops for Home Gardens — Oregon State University Extension.
- Crimson-Clover-Crop
This very common agriculture cover crop is very useful in the ornamental garden and readying any poor site for any type of gardening endeavor. Article contains how-to and resource links. - Crimson Clover - Improving Cover Crops — Oregon State University & Oregon Clover Commission.
- Fertilizing Your Garden — Oregon State University Extension.
Covers both west and east Oregon, and would apply to WA. Kind of technical. - Home Gardeners Guide to Soils & Fertilizers — WSU Extension.
This is what is taught to the Master Gardeners. Pretty much everything you need to know about soil, nitrogen cycle, fertilizers.
- Cover Crops for Home Gardens
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Meadows / Prairies
Meadows are wonderful habitat features. They not only support pollinators (and insects in general), but birds and small mammals. They are also great at preventing erosion because meadow plants generally have deep and/or extensive root systems, and they can be low-maintenance once established. But depending on situation, they can become weedy. Good plant selection is imperative. Remember, balance is key.
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Conservation Resources for Prairie & Oak Woodland Landowners
— Nature ConservancyInspiration for why meadows and prairies are a good thing. Website has some resources links.
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Establishing Pollinator Meadow from Seed
— Xerces Society.Good general guide, but we would warn that this guide advocates a higher proportion of flowers to grasses, and though that may be very good for pollinators, it generally looks dead, unattractive, and can get weedy over the long winter season here in the PNW. If you are orchestrating a tiny ‘pollinator meadow’ as a small feature of your ornamental landscape, more flowers is fine. Just understand that the entire meadow will go dormant (and may be less appealing visually) during winter. If you are converting a very large portion of your landscape to meadow, consider planting at least ½ of the total area in warm-season clumping grasses (and be sure at least some of those are evergreen).
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Meadows / Prairies — Goodnight Design.
The basics of why meadows are good, and links to many resources and books to help get you inspired and started.
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South Sound Prairies
South Sound Prairies — South Puget Sound area.
Probably the closest local information available.Practical guides:
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Garry Oak Ecosystems
The Garry Oak, also known as Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) is our region’s only native oak. This tree’s native habitat is grass savanna (meadow). The trees are majestic and long lived, and their savanna ecosystem is not only beautiful, but supports a truly mind-boggling amount of birds, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and insects. If you have or want Garry Oaks and/or the meadows they would be at home in, check out these resources.
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Garry Oak Ecosystem
- Garry Oak Ecosystem — WA Native Plant Society.
- Garry Oak Ecosystems — E-Flora BC.
Good general information about these ecosystems.
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Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT)
Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT) is out of British Columbia, but the Garry Oak ecosystem that is native there is the same as is native here. Of particular interest for home gardeners from their site:
- For Gardeners & Restoration Practitioners
- Garry Oak Gardener’s Handbook
- Native Plant Flowering Times
Data is for Victoria, BC (Zone 9a), but just narrow the graph data a bit and you should be pretty safe for planning bloom times for your meadow in our Zone 8 region. - Invasive Species
Resources about management and eradication of a host of invasive species that affect not only the Victoria, BC area, but here in Clark County, too. Scroll down the Field Manual where you can download it in full, or just the pages about the plant you are interested in managing/eradicating. (Note: There may be some plants that are invasive in Victoria, BC which are not invasive here. Consult WA Invasive Species List .)
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Wildlife on White Oaks Woodlands
Wildlife On White Oaks Woodlands
— World Forestry Center, Portland, OR.Great paper with information about all of the many creatures who depend upon Garry Oak ecosystems for their survival.
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Septic Systems
Guidelines for Planting on or near Septic Fields
— From a variety of resources including University of Minnesota Extension; WSU Extension, Clallum County; Michigan Wildflower Farm
Plants for Drainfields
— WSU Extension, Clallum County.
Landscaping Your Drainfield
— WSU Extension, Clallum County.
Planting on Your Septic Drainfield
— Virginia Cooperative Extension. -
Streams / Riparian Areas
Protecting Your Stream
— Watershed Stewards, Clark County, WA and WSU Clark County Extension.
Streamside Gardening — Oregon State University Extension, Yamhill County.
Lots of links to great regional information.
Plants for Streamside Gardens
— Oregon State University Extension, Yamhill. -
Wildfire Defense
Some of what is necessary to prevent wildfire is mutually exclusive for wildlife habitat, particularly up close to your house.
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- Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database — BLM publication.
It is for southern ID, but some of those plants are suitable for our Willamette Valley area. - Fire-resistant Plants for Home Landscapes — Oregon State University.
- Reducing Fire Risk on Your Forest Property — PNW Extension Publication.
Pretty much everything you need to know about protecting your land and structures from wildfire.
- Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database
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Well-watered Lawn
Many resources recommend well-watered lawn grass in the Zone 1 area around your structures. Since the NBB program is encouraging water conservation, and lawn size reduction. For this situation we recommend lawn made of one of the eco-lawns such as Fleur de Lawn, RTF(Rhizomatous Tall Fescue) or even better, all clover.
- Lawn Alternatives — Goodnight Design.
Descriptions and links to 2 types of eco lawn. - Mini- and micro-clover — Goodnight Design.
- There are situations where having lawn is still the best choice of landscape. If you live in a high-risk wildfire area, chances are good there is a lot of wildlife habitat nearby, so having an eco-lawn wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
- Lawn Alternatives — Goodnight Design.
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Less Local (but good) Wildfire Resources
- Fire-wise Community-Home & Landscape — Interagency site: Forest Service, Department of Interior, National Association of State Foresters.
- Protect Your Home, Property & Forest from Wildfire — Colorado State Forest Service.
- Ready for Wildfire — California.
- Wildfire-related Resources — Colorado State University.
This information is housed in Colorado, but it’s a compilation by several agencies.
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Related resources: Lawn | Grasscycling | Water Use & Management
Related articles: Appropriate Plants
