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DIGGING THE DIRT – Gardening the Soil in a Season of Drought

August 10, 2021 by Kay Hamilton Estey

Aeoniums and Succulents [Attribution] UKGardenPhotos
In early June, Pam Peirce and I sat under a cherry tree in my wildly blooming garden and discussed life and plants. Pam*, noted author and columnist, is now preparing the fourth edition of Golden Gate Gardening, writing gardening columns for the Chronicle, and embarking on a biography of one of her interesting Indiana relatives. But our focus was the topic of the day for gardeners – how to garden in an arid climate faced with the possibility of prolonged drought.

As usual, Pam was full of hints and ideas, many of which are repeated here. Like most experienced horticulturalists, her primary advice was to look after the composition of the soil, which in Glen Park is most often heavy clay, or sometimes sand.

It took me years to realize I should be gardening the dirt more than the plants!

One begins with the slow but important process of adding organic matter or compost to the soil – this will help it retain moisture. It’s possible to purchase bags of compost or make your own. Commercial compost often includes material such as rice hulls to lighten heavy clay soil. It may be necessary to lightly dig in the new material if your soil is compacted. The aim is a kind of loamy, dark, friable soil alive with earthworms, beetles, fungi, bacteria, and many tiny, microscopic creatures. Then you can follow up by adding thin layers of organic mulch to further help retain moisture and slow weed growth.

And – stop with the chemicals already! The use of chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers will eventually kill your soil and its water retaining capabilities, not to mention the adverse impact on beneficial insects, bees and birds.

Again, look after your soil. Then think about changing your watering techniques. Using a drip irrigation system benefits the garden by providing small amounts of water regularly so the soil does not dry out. In addition, Glen Park Garden Club members have successfully installed systems to recycle household wastewater from washing machines. And if you are letting your garden dry out more, you may need to resort to the technique of watering for short periods with breaks in between to allow water to soak into dry soil. Lastly, consider reducing the number of containers, and don’t start that new lawn or vegetable garden just yet!

Remember most new plants require regular deep watering to establish those long, strong roots that will support and feed the plant during its lifecycle. In our Glen Park micro-climate, the best time to plant is in the cool fall before the rainy season. Rain helps new plants a lot! We have to be patient – and optimistic.

But now we can plan rather than plant! Here are a few suggestions to think about for your new fall garden. There are mainly perennials, including California native plants, which are well suited to our climate and soil types. Shrubs and trees will be the focus of another column.

Achillea aka Yarrow. Low growing native and hybridized perennials with bifurcated pale grey leaves with many blooms in summer and fall. The flowers are bright yellow, white, or coral. These reliable darlings will reseed and spread happily throughout your garden but are easily controlled. Achillea millefolium, a native plant, will thrive in our climate.

Aeoniums and other succulents. I particularly like Aeonium Schwarzkopf, a tall beauty with rosettes of black leaves topped with tiny yellow flowers. Like most succulents they require some water and will grow in part shade. Also consider the gorgeous chalky grey Duddleya brittonii, a pale native beauty that is spectacular in containers. Succulents in general are drought tolerant but note that many will shrivel and fail to thrive in hot sun with no water.

“Beautiful aeoniums” [Attribution] .scarlet.
Euphorbia aka Spurge. A group of dramatic garden plants with narrow leaves and oddly shaped rosettes of leaves and small flowers. I particularly like Euphorbia characias wulfenii for its tall architectural grandeur and narrow blue-green leaves topped with thick bunches of greenish yellow flowers with purple centers. It’s worth getting to know this family, as most Euphorbias will thrive in our area. Try the delightful small, colorful Euphorbia Ascot Rainbow with bright red, green and yellow leaves and flowers. Cut back after bloom and avoid the stinging white sap.

“Euphorbia” [Attribution] Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie
Salvia aka Sage. I’ve written about salvias – perhaps too much! But they’re so easy to grow, are loved by insects and bees, are colorful, bloom forever, and thrive in Glen Park! Please contact me if you would like my short list of useful salvias including California natives for the garden. One enduring and tough favorite is Salvia Hot Lips, with long blooming brilliant red and white flowers.

So, while we wait for rain, keep planning, and start layering that organic matter into your soil.

*Books by Pam Peirce
Golden Gate Gardening: The Complete Guide to Year-round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California. Penguin Random House
Wildly Successful Plants. Sasquatch Books.

For information about the Glen Park Garden Club contact Kay.estey@gmail.com.

Filed Under: Editor's Pick, Gardening, Wildlife

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IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Arlington Path Beautification
Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to noon
Meet at 300 Mateo (x Arlington) for an exciting day of weeding, watering, seed collecting.
Tools, gloves and good company provided.


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Glen Park Association is at Glen Park Greenway.
2 days ago
Glen Park Association

Saturday’s Glen Park Greenway Work Party is Cancelled.

“I’m very sorry to say that
we have cancelled our Work Party for this Saturday July 12, along with all organized volunteer activity on the Greenway until further notice.
As you may have read in the news, our fiscal sponsor, San Francisco Parks Alliance (SFPA), has shut itself down. Just as SFPA has shut itself down, the Greenway, as an organized part of SFPA, has also been “shut down.” We are busy looking for a suitable alternative fiscal sponsor that is willing to replace SFPA. That search is going well but it is a slow process. We had hoped to find temporary ways to enable the Greenway project to function responsibly as a community activity without a fiscal sponsor. Sadly, despite our best efforts and the help of many others in Glen Park, we have failed. That is why we must cancel our Saturday Work Party and discontinue future work parties and other organized volunteer activity on the Greenway (like weeding and watering) until further notice. We recognize that the Greenway is public open space and that the organizers of the Greenway project have no control over the activities of you or of anyone else on the Greenway. However, if you do venture onto the Greenway to satisfy your urge for outdoor recreation, please be aware that your activity is not in any way organized or sanctioned by the organizers of the Glen Park Greenway project. I’m well aware of the efforts that many of the
Greenway’s supporters are making to get the Greenway organized with a new fiscal sponsor and I’m confident that this will be arranged within weeks or perhaps a few months.
However long it takes, I will contact you with news of our progress.
Many thanks for all that you do for the Greenway.”

Nicholas Dewar, volunteer Project Director

#glenparkgreenway #glenparksf #sanfrancisco @rafaelmandelmand8 @danielluriesf @crosstowntrail
#crosstowntrail #sfparksalliance #publicspace #nature
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Wonder what’s stopping just organizing it separate from that non-profit. It seems like the volunteers largely come from Glen Park.

Glen Park Association is at Laidley Street SFO.
6 days ago
Glen Park Association

It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street!

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street! 

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein 

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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