25 Drought Tolerant Native Plants for the Prairies

July 2, 2019

Gardening in a drought is no fun. Sure, if you have access to city or well water, you can keep everything living. But nothing will really thrive. As gardeners, we like to be conscious of our footprint on the environment and save water where we can.

One of the best ways to do this is to plant native plants. Once established, these perennial flowers and bushes will help beautify your yard and be able to withstand a drought year. Plus, they are generally very low maintenance–win win!

Be Responsible, Don’t Remove Native Plants From Their Habitat

When I say native plants, I am going to be talking about mostly domesticated varieties that are available in garden centres. Please DO NOT scour country side ditches and transplant native plants to your home. It may seem like you’re helping an endangered species by giving it a controlled environment, but you’re actually hurting it.

Native plants need the specific ecosystem they are in to thrive. Your garden is not that ecosystem. Plus, you’ve just taken away a future source of seeds for that plant from the area.

Finally, removing native plants is illegal and there are steep fines. Ladyslippers and Prairie lilies are gorgeous, but are really best enjoyed in their native Prairie habitat.

Finally you can have a drought tolerant, low maintenance landscape in your yard...if you plant these native perennial flowers and shrubs. Help save water and have a beautiful yard at the same time. #nativeplants #zone3 #perennials #flowers

Where Do I Buy Native Plants?

The varieties I’m suggesting today should be available for purchase at most local greenhouses, or by mail order. However, if you’d like to go further into the world of native plants, your local Native Plant Society will likely have a list of places you can responsibly order seeds from. Here are links to the native plant groups in the three Prairie Provinces.

Do Drought Tolerant Plants Need To Be Watered?

In short, yes. Like any other bush or perennial, your plants need to be watered every day (unless it’s raining or the ground is saturated) the first year until they are more established. I personally would water them in the second year as well, especially if the weather is abnormally dry or hot.

After the third year, your native plants should require very little care.

Easy to Grow, Low Maintenance Native Plants for the Prairies

One last disclaimer–this list is intended for a beginner gardener in the Prairie Provinces or even the Mid-West of the United States. I garden in zone 3 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and my list is best suited for this area.

I’ve strived to pick plants that are readily available and drought tolerant. This means, they may not be the exact native variety, but a naturalized one. I hope you find this list with pictures helpful!

If you would like to go further in your native plants journey, I urge you to see the sites I’ve suggested above. Is there a plant you feel should be on this list? Let me know in the comments!

Edible Fruit Trees

Saskatoon Berry

Chokecherry

Buffalo Berry

Sand Cherry

Highbush Cranberry

Hazlenut

Shrubs

Dogwood

Prickly Rose

Showy Mountain Ash

There are lots of beautiful native shrubs, but unfortunately, it is not so easy to find stock photography of them. Please see this website for plenty of shrub options with pictures. I think the Mountain Maple and Smooth Sumac would also be beautiful options.

Flowering Perennials

Sage

Wild Blue Flax

Coneflower

Crocus

Gaillardia

Wild Columbine

Related: 5 Reasons to landscape with native plants

Aster

Goldenrod

Yarrow

Hyssop

Liatrus

Black Eyed Susan

Scarlet Mallow

Grasses

There are many beautiful grasses you can grow to add winter interest and movement to your garden. It is suggested that you grow at least one cool season and one warm season variety. Click here to read more and discover different varieties.

Vines

Wild Hops

Virginia Creeper

Virginia creeper can become invasive, so plant with caution!

Which one of these resilient plants will you plant? Or will you create a whole flower garden with them?

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots. She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden. She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

5 Benefits to Landscaping with Low Maintenance Native Plants

May 21, 2019

What is Native Plant Landscaping?

Native plant landscaping is using plants in your garden that originated locally in the wild from where you live. These plants can range from grasses to herbs to shrubs to trees. They include beautiful flowers and food source plants.

There’s no special way to landscape native plants. The design can be simple clusters of one plant, a mix of plants to create a wildflower meadow or even a food forest. Native plants can be arranged in any way you like, just as ornamentals are, and there are many benefits to growing native plants over non-natives.

Why Should I Use Native Plants in My Garden?

Many people don’t realize that caring for native plants is way easier than ornamentals!

Native plant species have had time over centuries to acclimate to a region making them more resistant to damage from freezing, drought, common diseases, and herbivores, whereas non-native species have not. Native plants have ecological, economic, genetic, cultural and aesthetic benefits including:

They require less maintenance post-planting (fertilization, water, weeding, etc.) than ornamental plants!

Survival rates over the first winter after planting are usually higher than ornamentals. Native plants are also used to suffering through drought and poor weather conditions so they don’t need as much tucking in at night! They are also better at defending themselves against weed species. Who doesn’t want to weed less!?!

Retention of naturally occurring food sources for wildlife.

Many pollinators including bees have co-evolved with native plants and rely on the for food. Having these plants in your yard can help attract native bees and prevent a decline in the species.

And with the bugs come beautiful birds who eat them!

By planting native plants you can help protect threatened or endangered species.

Specific relationships exist between native plants and mycorrhizae, invertebrates, pollinators and birds that cannot be replicated with non-native plants. Native plants not only provide food sources for wildlife, they provide suitable habitat. Think of the Monarch butterfly who need milkweed plants to lay their eggs on.

There is also less spring/fall cleanup to worry about. The longer you leave it, the better it is for the insects and animals that depend on dead leaves and fallen-over grasses for overwintering.

Add beauty to the landscape and preserve our natural heritage.

Many native plants produce gorgeous flowers and some species are especially fragrant. Shrubs such as red-osier dogwood are even beautiful in the winter as their red stems protrude from the snow.

These plants also connect us to the land. First Nations peoples have used them for centuries as food and medicines.

Dogwood for winter interest in a zone 3 landscape on the Canadian prairies.

Provide opportunity for public education.

Your neighbors will probably ask about the new plants they may not recognize in your yard. This is a great opportunity to educate them about the plants that are native to your region and the benefits of growing them in your own yard.

Where Can I Find These Plants?

There are several native plants nurseries across Canada where seeds, seedlings, and larger plants can be purchased.

Just like ornamentals, native plants have different life cycles (annual, biennial, perennial), different planting requirements (e.g. sun/shade, moister/drier) and different blooming times.

The nursery can provide all the details you need for successful establishment. Most have a guarantee on the plants’ survival and even ship right to your door.

Some nurseries in western Canada are Wild About Flowers, Sherwood’s Forests, Twin Sisters Native Plant Nursery and NATS Nursery. The Edmonton Native Plant Society also has lots of useful information on their website: http://edmontonnativeplantgroup.org/home.htm. If you want to get more involved, consider joining your local native plant group if there is one in your area.

How do you create a low maintenance, drought-resistant flower garden, encourage pollinators, and add beauty to your backyard landscape? The solution is easier than you think with native perennials! #flowers #landscaping #nativeplants #zone 3 #canada

Native plants can sometimes be found at garden centres amoungst the ornamentals. If the Latin name has been included on the tag you can check if it’s in a local native plant guide such as Plants of the Western Forest Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Boreal and Aspen Parkland by Derek Johnson, Linda Kershaw and Andy MacKinnon.

You can find this book or others similar to it for your area on Amazon, Bookstores, or your local library.

Be aware that only the Latin name will tell you the exact species as many plants have the same common names.

There are also landscaping companies that specialize in native plant landscaping (although I imagine most people reading this probably love to get the dirt under their own finger nails!). A quick Google search can yield these types of companies.

Some cities even have small grants for native plant landscaping projects. You can also check with your local government if any shelter belt programs exist for rural properties (these are usually for shrubs to be planted around the homestead).

So if you’re looking for a way to encourage pollinators, create a low maintenance flower garden in your landscape, add beauty to your yard, and create conversations–grow native plants.

Robyn Sayer

Robyn is a Plant Ecologist from Edmonton, AB who is passionate about native plant landscaping. When she’s not working in the wilderness she spends every spare minute in the garden. Robyn hopes to spread awareness about the beauty and practicality of using native plants in our own yards.

32 Flowers, Groundcover, and Shrubs that Grow Under Trees

March 26, 2019

I’m going to start this post by saying that starting a garden underneath a tree can be a challenging task. You’ll likely be battling shade, dry ground, and acidic conditions if you’re planting underneath a coniferous tree. If you’re not fully committed to this gardening challenge, I highly recommend a circle of mulch around your tree and calling it a day.

However, I understand the appeal. There’s something about blooming flowers underneath a tall tree that seems so romantic and beautiful. So in that spirit, here’s 32 plants that will work in your underneath-a-tree flower bed. I’ve chosen mostly perennials, with a few shade loving annuals thrown in for good measure.

A quick disclaimer: I personally garden in zone 3b on the Canadian Prairies, so all of my plant suggestions are plants that will grow in this zone. If you live somewhere warmer, you will likely have a lot more plant suggestions at your disposal. However, all my picks should work for you!

Disclaimer number 2: Some of the plants I’m suggesting can be very invasive. It’s always a good idea to google [your province or state] plus the term “invasive plants” to avoid future heartache in the garden.

Coniferous or Deciduous?

Let’s go back to your elementary science class for a moment.

Coniferous trees are the types of trees that stay green all year. For example, fir, pine, and spruce. Deciduous trees are the ones that the leaves fall off every Autumn. For example, oak, elm, and any fruit tree.

Most of the plants I’m suggesting will work well for either type of tree, but there’s a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.

If your tree is coniferous, you’ll need to prune the bottom branches to allow some light to get to your plants. The soil underneath tends to be quite acidic, so you may need to make some amendments to your soil or build it up a little.

If your tree is deciduous, you might be able to plant some early flowering perennials, such as crocuses, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and other spring perennials that require more sun. The leaves on the trees won’t be fully grown when these flowers are blooming, so they should work even though underneath a tree is generally a shady area.

Plan the Perfect Garden

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The Best Ground covers for Underneath a tree

Sometimes you don’t want to spend lots of time and effort creating the perfect flowerbed–you just want a pretty hit of colour that will look good and be low maintenance. One of these perennial ground covers will be your answer.

Anemone

Anemone’s are easy to find, longer blooming, and spread out nicely, but aren’t impossible to control. In my book, they’re one of the best choices you can make for a ground cover

Bugleweed

I love this ground cover with it’s pretty purple flowers, but be warned–it can be very invasive and almost impossible to get rid of. If you have very difficult growing conditions, this might be your answer.

JAPANESE SPURGE (PACHYSANDRA)

Japanese spurge is good for woodland areas and creates a 2 inch thick carpet when mature. Like most of the ground covers, it can get out of control in some areas. It does not like very dry conditions.

Lameum

Lily of the Valley

Technically, Lily of the Valley really isn’t considered a ground cover. However, I find that it can spread so quickly, that I would treat it like one.

SAXIFRAGE (ROCKFOIL)

SOLOMON’S SEAL

A beautiful plant for a woodland garden. It does well as a ground cover or in a flower bed. Beware the berries, as they are poisonous to animals and children.

Perennial Flowers

Bergenia

In my old established neighbourhood, this is the perennial flower of choice for underneath a tree.

Black Snakeroot (Black Cohosh)

Bleeding Heart

An old favourite! Get one in dark pink, light pink and white.

Columbine

Columbines come in many colours and the seeds are very easy to collect. A must-have underneath deciduous trees.

Day Lilies–with one catch

Daylilies actually prefer full sun, but them will grow in the shade. If the shade is too intense and it receives less than 3 hours of sun, it might not bloom at all. However, you’ll still have the interest of the leaves.

Ferns

For the love of all that is right and good in the world, please do not plant ostrich ferns unless you have impossible-to-grow-anything conditions. I currently own an overgrown yard that I have pulled at least 400 ferns from over the last two years. Yes, you read that right. Pick any other fern.

Foam Flowers

Goutweed

Goutweed is another be-careful-what-you-wish-for perennial that has a bad spreading habit. In my post, the 28 perennials you’ll regret planting, it is by far the most-hated.

Hens and Chicks

Hostas

Hostas are easy to grow and come in a variety of leaf patterns. Get 3-5 different varieties for a stunning display.

Lungwort

Image by Beate Felten-Leidel from Pixabay

Lungwort is another one of my favourite picks for a shade-loving ground cover in the garden. I love the pretty purple and pink blooms!

Milkweed

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Look for a variety that grows no taller than 2 feet. The varieties that grow 6 feet will look ridiculous. This one can also be invasive in some areas.

Sedum

There are so many colourful and gorgeous varieties of sedum that you could easily do you whole under-the-tree flower bed with just sedum. Hmm. . . I have a spot in my front yard. . . .

Siberian Bugloss (Jack Frost)

This plant has the most beautiful blue blooms and is an unusual addition to any flowerbed.

Siberian Irises

Irises are a great choice for underneath a deciduous tree, because they bloom earlier in the season and the roots should not be planted deeply. Perfect for when you’re trying to avoid damaging existing tree roots.

Yarrow

Yarrow is actually best suited to full sun, but if the tree in question is smaller and your bed would receive at least 6 hours of sun a day, plant on. Yarrow is a great choice in this situation because it can thrive in some of the poorest of soils.

Annual Flowers

BEGONIA

New to gardening in the shade? Make sure you get a begonia or two (or more!) They come in many different sizes and colours. My personal favourite are the large double ones pictured below, but in a yellow with pink edges.

COLEUS

Coleus is widely available in a rainbow of colours at your local garden centre or big box store. Plus, you can take cuttings indoors before the first frost and enjoy as a houseplant over the winter.

IMPATIENS

Impatiens are another practically-no-fail-flower for the beginner gardener. They also come in many colours and varieties. I personally love the double impatiens. The ones pictured here are the most typical ones you’ll find at the garden centre.

LYSIMACHIA (CREEPING JENNY)

Lysimachia is hardy from zones 2-10 and is a great plant to grow in a shady area where nothing else will grow. However, because of it’s invasive nature, you need to check if this plant is banned in your area or not before planting it.

Shrubs and Bushes

Alpine Currant

Have a spot that’s impossible to grow anything in? An alpine currant might be the solution. They’re typically used as a hedge, and can handle full sun, shade, poor soil, a hard pruning, or almost any tricky growing situation.

Junipers

Look for low growing varieties for a nice hit of green all year long.

Ninebark

Ninebarks are very hardy shrubs and add a unique pop of colour to an otherwise green tableau.

Snowberry

The ornamental berries add some nice texture to your landscape.

Spirea

Spireas are better suited to sun, so don’t plant them in a flowerbed that will get no sun whatsoever.

Whatever you Plant, Don’t Do this!!

You’ve picked your ground cover, flowers, or shrubs, but there’s three things you need to avoid.

First, don’t build up your soil in a raised bed directly against the trunk of the tree. You could damage the tree and it may even die. You can add 2-3 inches of soil at most without compromising your tree.

This is why I recommend surrounding the three feet directly around your tree with mulch and no plants. That way, the tree has a buffer and your plants won’t have to directly compete with the tree trunk for growing space. The mulch ensures that you won’t have a weedy mess.

Plan the Perfect Garden

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Second, you’ll also want to avoid planting any shrubs that grow more than three feet, as anything taller may start growing in-between the lower branches of the tree. In this case, the shorter the plant, the better.

Finally, don’t rototill the ground directly around an established tree to try and make a flower bed. You’ll destroy the roots and damage the tree. Dig small holes for each individual plant instead.

How to Grow More Successfully Beneath a Tree

The first step to growing successfully beneath a tree is to trim the lower branches of the tree. Even shade-loving plants need some light to grow.

Next, when you plant your flower bed, make sure that each plant has its own hole that’s larger than the plant. Fill the extra space with more soil. This ensures that the new plants don’t have to compete with established roots and compact ground for their root space. Take special care not to damage the roots of the existing tree.

Finally, in a perfect world you would plant the flower bed under the tree at the same time as you’re planting the tree in question. Lots of trees have roots close to the surface, and it’s easy to damage them years later as you’re trying to add plants to a new flower bed.

Any suggestions you’d add? Is there a plant that needs to be on this list?

Not sure what to plant when you're landscaping under a tree? Here's 32 shade friendly perennial flowers, ground cover, annuals, and shrubs that would be beautiful in your front yard or backyard. #landscaping #tree #shade #flowers

Kristen Raney

www.shiftingroots.com

7 Backyard Landscaping Decisions You’ll Regret

March 24, 2019

Everyone wants a backyard that is beautifully landscaped and low maintenance. A place where you can relax after a long day.

However, if you’re going the DIY route to creating a backyard landscape, there are some pitfalls to avoid. These mistakes look fine when you first plant them, but in 3-5 years they’ll have you regretting your decisions, pulling out plants, and redoing the whole thing.

Who wants to create extra work in the yard? Not me!

Cedars

Don’t sharpen your pitchforks just yet. Cedars are beautiful and I love them too, but after 15-20 years they just look tired and have often grown way too big for the space they were intended for.

Avoid this problem by trimming them once a year, and make sure you plant them far enough apart.

Case in point, my house. I’m sure there’s a house somewhere behind those cedars…

Planting Trees and Shrubs Too Close Together

Sure, those trees or shrubs look perfectly spaced now, but they will soon be over crowded and die in two years time. The suggested space between trees on the tag is there for a reason.

Cheaping Out on Mulch

If you’re going to use mulch, make sure you actually use landscape fabric or cardboard underneath the area and put a full 4 inches of mulch on top. Anything less means you’ll have weeds in a month and your whole project will be ruined next year.

Once you use proper mulch, you’ll love how much work it saves you. With less weeding and watering, you’ll wonder why you didn’t join the mulch bandwagon sooner.

Forgetting that Trees make Shade

That adorable little tree next to your garden or flower bed might barely cast a shadow these days, but in just a few short years it could completely shade out your growing space. It can be hard to visualize how large a tree will grow, but trying to do so and planning accordingly will save you a world of hurt (and an expensive tree removal bill) down the road.

Planting a Tree Underneath a Power Line

Enough said. Why?!?!

Digging Through Power and Cable Lines

There’s a reason you’re supposed to call before you dig. Please call your power and cable companies to come and mark your lines before you take on any landscaping project. They can usually be there within two weeks, often sooner.

Planting Invasive Perennials

I know, I know, you have this giant blank slate of a yard and you just want to fill it. Perennials save you money, but they don’t really get to their full size until after 3-5 years. Invasive perennials will fill out sooner, but can quickly take over a space if you’re not diligent about removing plants in spots you don’t want them in.

Here’s 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting, Plus 50 more Perennials to Avoid

Don’t believe me? I bought an old house with an overgrown backyard and I am constantly picking out ferns, bellflower, and lily of the valley out of my flower beds every year. I’ve owned it for three years and I’ve barely made a dent in the fern/bellflower/lily of the valley population.

Here’s the backyard we started with.

Have you made any of these mistakes? Do you have anything you’d add to the list?

Kristen Raney

www.shiftingroots.com

How to Design a Front Yard Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

February 8, 2019

Space is at a premium in urban centres, and you might not have enough space in your backyard to plant as many vegetables as you like. But have you ever thought of going out into your front yard?

In some neighbourhoods, the front yard space is even larger than the backyard space, and can easily help you double your available gardening space.

If you’re thinking of starting a front yard vegetable garden, check with your city or municipality that they are allowed, ask for a line locate from your power, energy, or cable company, and start dreaming up your new raised bed vegetable garden!

Here’s how I made over part of my front yard into a raised bed vegetable garden.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy.

The Before

Our front yard was pretty uninspiring, to say the least. In the previous year my husband constructed these cheap wooden raised beds for me because I could not fit in everything I wanted to plant in the backyard. I had even more plans to expand my vegetable garden, so the dried out potentillas had to go.

The potentillas were so overgrown and parts of them were even starting to rot. I’m sure they were beautiful in their time, but if I was going to keep them, they were in desperate need of a good pruning because they didn’t flower very much in the summer.

Ordering Soil and Mulch

I’m not sure why, but the thought of ordering soil and mulch from a landscaping company seemed really overwhelming to me. However, I knew that this was too big of a project to be dragging bags of the stuff from a big box store back and forth in my truck.

However, I went with a friend to one of the larger companies in the city and got it done!! I ordered 1 yard of pine mulch (the cheapest option) and 2 yards of soil with compost and peat already mixed in.

I assumed that because compost and peat was already mixed in, that I wouldn’t have to make any further amendments to my soil.

I was wrong.

While the vegetables in the new soil performed alright, there was a noticeable difference from the ones in the soil that I had been improving with compost and manure for 3 years.

Planting your first vegetable garden? Here’s the 10 easiest vegetables to grow, plus 6 tips I wish I would have known.

Though these piles may seem on the small side, it still took me around 9 hours of work to move everything with a wheelbarrow to where it needed to be. Since I don’t have a driveway, I had to get it all done in one day before any of my neighbours complained to the city.

If you are in this situation, check the city bylaws to see how long you as a homeowner can leave something like this out on a city street. In my city it’s 24 hours, but in some places it can be as short as 6 or as long as 48. If you need longer, you may have to apply for a permit.

The moral of the story? Schedule your delivery for a day when you know you have the entire day to deal with your soil and mulch!!

Creating My Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Almost finished our front yard project. The two wooden raised beds in the front will be upgraded next year!

I filled up the raised garden beds with soil, surrounded the area with cardboard, and layered over a 4 inch layer of mulch.

Technically, I could have left the grass, but I wanted this project to be as maintenance free and neat looking as I possibly could. I don’t want to risk getting complaints from my neighbours because I am behind on the weeding.

The occasional weed will still come through your mulch. However, I can promise you that these weeds are super easy to pick–especially when you compare the amount of weeds you would have otherwise.

Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas? How about a front yard vegetable garden?! Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden. It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

Another thing you should know about mulch is that you’ll have to replenish it every 2-3 years. Wooden mulch will decompose over time, making your formerly 4 inch layer not thick enough to suppress weeds. You can use cedar mulch instead if you don’t want to top up your mulch as often. However, cedar tends to be more expensive.

The Best Method of Planting Vegetables in a Small Space Garden

Once the project was done, I planted my new raised beds using the square foot gardening method and the seeding square. (You can also get it on Amazon here.)

If you’re used to traditional rows in a garden, it can seem very strange to switch to this way of planting a garden. But once you try it, you’ll be hooked! You’ll be able to plant more vegetables in the same space and keep down the weeds much easier.

In fact, I found that once I had done the initial major weeding in June, there was barely any weeds after that, and it was easy to simply pull out the few that did manage to come up.

If you need ideas on square foot gardening, I have these 4 free templates (that are colour co-ordinated with the seeding square) that you might enjoy. If you don’t want to use the seeding square, you can figure out the spacing by using Mel Bartholomew’s book. (But seriously, you’ll save so much time and headache with the Seeding Square!!)

Get 4 Free Square Foot Gardening Templates

Start your square foot garden the easy way!

You'll get 4 4x4 plans for

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Beginner's Garden
Salsa Garden
Kid's Garden

Plus a short 3 day email course of how to get started with square foot gardening.

In the bed on the right, should not have planted that pepper between the artichokes. I had never grown artichokes before, and had no concept of how tall they would actually get. (3-5 feet!) Needless to say, the pepper did not do well.

I also did not realize that butternut squash and watermelon would cross with each other. I was blessed with some lovely mutant squash. What do you get when you cross a butternut with a watermelon? A very weird squash that you really don’t want to eat!!

A Front Yard Vegetable Garden Builds Community

Overall, I was really happy with my front yard vegetable garden. It was easy to keep up with and I would often notice people who were walking by enjoying it.

Neighbours would often stop by to chat about the garden, and perfect strangers would stop their walk to ask me questions about the garden if I was outside working on it.

I was a bit nervous about possible theft come harvest time, but so far it has not been a problem.

In fact, my biggest problem was actually the birds that mercilessly picked at any lettuce, kale, beets, and swiss chard that I planted. Next year I will protect my plants with cloth until they are well established.

By late summer, the garden was very productive and my mutant butternut squash/watermelon vines had taken over. All in all, I’d say my front yard raised bed vegetable garden project was a huge success!