Happy June!
A small name change, new additions to the habitat garden (mostly checkermallows) and... a preview of a future deep-dive article re: native plants that are difficult to establish due to slugs.
name change
I made a slight name change to this site to reflect that one of the many topics that I am passionate about and intend to write about extensively is the restoration of wetland and forest habitat on my property, in addition to growing various kinds of foods.
I’m fine-tuning my gardening style, which has evolved many times. Climate change, social justice issues, income inequality, etc., have all influenced how this property is used.
Some of the areas of this property are quite sunny, suitable for fruit and vegetable production. I have a small shade section devoted to growing fungi for consumption.
But nearly all other areas of the property are left undisturbed, or, if major weeds have moved in, I’ve worked hard to restore habitat. My feeling is - if my land is not feeding me, my kin, and sometimes family/neighbors, I’ll be “utilizing” it by feeding forest critters - many of which in turn serve as pest control, pollinators, and fertilizers.
This differs considerably from how most rural owners make use of their land. Most often, near me, owners mow all nearly areas of their property to scalp vegetation. Or goats are employed, which can have a similar effect. Unfortunately, this means that almost all native forbs, shrubs, and tree seedlings have died off. These native plants are those that various kinds of insects - the lower end of the food chain - *require* for their life cycle. In much of Clackamas County, the plants needed simply no longer exist.
Sometimes property is simply left alone, invasive weeds and wildfire fuel built up to dangerous levels. Occasionally native plants survive underneath the blackberry and ivy, but often it has been choked out.
I propose that, where possible, we rural land owners and gardeners do our best to make our properties considerably more hospitable to wildlife. As well as doing what we can to combat the effects of climate change.
my property restoration
My 2.5 acres is interesting in many ways. At the top of my property, approx 630 feet elevation, the geologic maps of the area show that we’re located on one of the Boring Lava Field vents. At the bottom of our 2.5 acres we have wetland running all the way through the property, with a pond at one end.
Along the hillside there are many areas of scree. For a long time it was dangerous to trek in the area because of so much loose rock. I’ve since moved thousands of rocks out of the way making trails. If you venture off the trails though, the likelihood of losing your footing over a loose rock increases.
Lucky for me, the invasive weeds are at a minimal in the area. A little blackberry and ivy, the usual suspects of geraniums, and the occasional scotch broom.
Along the wetland, there are more invasive plants than there are natives. Mostly blackberry. This year I’ve done a tremendous amount of blackberry removal along the creek. I’m finally able to see the birds splashing around and taking baths - yay! There’s quite a bit of empty space, so it’s now a rush to fill in some of it before the blackberries inevitably move back in and re-establish themselves.
My birthday was a few days ago, and on my wishlist was quite a few native plants to get the ball rolling. The one that I’m most excited about is Sidalcea Hendersonii, which is evidently quite rare. My mom picked me up one gallon, and it looks so excellent that I decided to go back and get more.
And according to Mark Turner, the foremost photographer of wildflowers in our region, this plant is particularly garden-worthy - blooming and looking good for an incredibly long time. Yes please!
Checkermallows seem to do incredibly well on my property. A major bonus is that they are a host to several butterflies in the area.
Note that this particular checkermallow is adapted to wetland areas, but there are checkermallows adapted to other conditions. Notably, Sidalcea Campestris, which is a plant adapted to very heavy soil that dries out completely. I’ve got quite a few of these I’m putting in this year, partly as decoration in my orchard. There’s also a few species adapted to “regular” garden conditions with irrigation and well-drained soils. Xera has a list of Sidalceas (checkermallows) that you should check out if you are considering planting them, as they seem to have the best info for cultivation.
I lost the tag some time ago to the checkermallow that has impressed me the most. It stays evergreen much of the year, and is completely untouched by slugs. I think it is Malvaflora. Another impressive feature… I tried some dividing this year of the plant and the little divisions that I took started growing very quickly — in areas that are less than optimal garden conditions! I’ll post a photo when the original plant is in bloom - which will be soon.
slugs & native plants
One of the things that impresses me the most about about checkermallows is that they are untouched by slugs, unlike other native plants that I seem to have a hard time getting established.
Very recently I went to SymbiOp over in Portland and found a 6 pack of native clovers. There was some forewarning that this species is sensitive to slugs - but I’m seeing sheer decimation by slugs - not just a little nibble here and there. I sincerely doubt they will survive enough to reseed.
Come to think of it, I’m having a hard time with other species as well. I’ve had a few Large-leaf Lupine on my property before, but they are short-lived perennials. Word is that they are supposed to reseed quite well. They never did for me. This year I seeded out a packet of them, hoping they’d re-establish. I noticed a few seedlings coming up, but they seemed to vanish overnight. I think the slugs must have found them fairly quickly.
Another plant I’ve had trouble getting established due specifically to slugs is Nemophila menziesii or Baby Blue Eyes. This one is an annual that is supposed to reseed quite well, but I can’t imagine it will come back after having been devoured the way the slugs are going for it here.
Slugs love my property, and baiting for them or trapping them is just not practical on 2.5 acres. I am trialing some of the bread dough/slurry method that OSU has recently proposed near some annual veg plants and I will post those results soon (hint: it isn’t going well). But for the most part, I’m on a mission to find the most slug-resistant natives rather than fussing around with trapping or baiting them, which is largely impractical.
Over the years, I’ve tried planting a multitude of native plants, and they have not gotten established for some reason or another. I’m not entirely sure that the issue is slug predation, but logic would say that native plants should be easy to establish.
Except that most slugs are *not* native to our area. It is well known that slugs wreak havoc on the vegetable and ornamental gardens, but what is almost never discussed is how these non-native creatures impact our habitat restorations, especially where their populations are particularly high.
Soon, I’ll make a stand-alone post for reference regarding which plants available for sale are most likely to be devoured by slugs. I’d like hear back from experts and other gardeners before I do so, which I am having a hard time finding.
Other natives I’m hoping to get established this year:
Ribes Sanguineum Xera’s Lime Punch - this will go right outside the living room window to brighten winter days
Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata will be a companion plant next to it
Sidalceas of several kinds
Downingia Yina for the wetland - annual reseeder - we will see how this one does with slug issues
Ceanothus Oregon Mist - to replace screening where I pulled a weedy cherry
Aralia Californica for the wetland
Cow parsnip for the wetland
Delphinium Trollifolium - we will see how this one does with slugs - many delphiniums struggle with slugs
Solidago Bees Knees - a native that is lower growing than the species, good for dry clay areas
Aster Hallii
Allium amplectum for the dry clay areas
What’s happening in your garden?
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Probably! I haven't been able yet to identify all the types of native grasses and weeds but eventually plan to do that. A neighbor (the former owner of our largest pond) put bamboo along one area of the pond but luckily it's not the kind that spreads. We also cut back a ton of English ivy several years ago but I still have a few patches of that to handle in the wood. That kind of thing.
I'm just south of Salem in the Salem Hills (those hills behind the Willamette Valley Vineyard). We are at about 700-800 feet. Our area is about 1/2 wooded with mostly native cover, with some open gardens and fields. We have water on our property: a little creek that originates from a spring somewhere higher on the hill, and three ponds (all created by former residents).