Pragmatic plots

Our climate is changing rapidly, and our garden plans need to adapt accordingly.

“We need a planting design that functions as a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem suited to our climate,” says Nik Friesen-Hughes, landscape designer and owner of Dogwood Landscape Design Build. “We’re already seeing warmer temperatures overall in winter and summer and a longer growing season. In a climate such as Winnipeg’s, plants must handle extreme cold, heavy spring moisture and drought. So, we want to design a garden that’s resilient to all these things.”

Managing landscape water efficiently is a good starting point.

“Resilient landscapes don’t just use less water, they manage the water where it is,” says Friesen-Hughes. What if you could charge up your soil profile in spring with the extra moisture in the snow to help plants withstand hot, dry conditions that occur later on?

“Don’t be so keen to get rid of all the water from your yard,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Snow is a resource. In nature, water is not wasted. It is used efficiently by plants at every layer of the ecosystem. In spring, moisture from snow is absorbed everywhere before it enters rivers and lakes. As snow melts, plant roots capture the moisture, filter it and slow it down. This reduces erosion, creates healthier soil and helps your soil to hold more water.”

Capture water

There are ways to capture water in your landscape and create opportunities for it to infiltrate more slowly into your soil and recharge the groundwater.

“One way is to work with the topography by regrading and shaping it,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Berms, for example, create raised areas to direct water into areas where moisture is needed. Rain gardens are another strategy. By creating little pockets for water to pool and allowing it to slowly percolate into the ground, rain gardens help to prevent water from running off into storm sewers.”

Changes to topography can be subtle.

“It doesn’t need to be dramatic,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Even small grooves can make a difference, like a shallow basin filled with stones that weaves through your garden. Dry rivers and dry creeks are another option. These provide space for water to flow during a rain event and act like a temporary holding tank. Another strategy is to direct the flow of water from your eavestroughs or sump pump rather than allowing it to run off your property and be wasted.”

Spacing in a garden influences how efficiently plants utilize water.

“A dense planting conserves water more efficiently because it covers the soil, keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Dense plantings with lots of roots hold water in place. The plants also support one another and act as living windbreaks.”

Embrace diversity

Since weather varies each year, increasing plant diversity is another important strategy.

“The more plant diversity you have, the more your overall planting will be successful and resilient in different conditions,” says Friesen-Hughes.

When Friesen-Hughes designs for clients, he includes a high proportion of long-lived plant species. “Grasses live for decades,” he says. “Big Prairie plants like Joe Pye Weed and Culver’s Root are also long-lived.”

But short-lived species — Anise hyssop, for example — play an important role, too, because they occupy empty spaces until the long-lived species grow bigger.

In a healthy plant community, different species occupy different levels of the soil profile, says Friesen-Hughes.

“Deep tap-root plants such as Dwarf False Indigo (Amorpha nana) and Prairie grasses like Big Bluestem can access moisture deep in the soil,” says Friesen-Hughes. “But some plants have more shallow, fibrous root systems. Having a diversity of deep- and shallow-rooted plants enhances resilience.”

Friesen-Hughes is intrigued by Dwarf False Indigo. A low-growing native shrub, it has finely textured, compound foliage and purple, pea-like flowers with showy, orange anthers. Despite its attractive appearance and deer-resistance, Dwarf False Indigo is an underused plant.

“The foliage is so cool looking,” says Friesen-Hughes. “It provides early-season colour and takes its time to mature. Pollinators love it”

Site-appropriate choices

When selecting plants, it’s important to understand your site conditions.

“Where does the moisture concentrate? Where does the wind come from? If you choose plants appropriate for your site, you won’t need to spend as much time watering,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Drought stress is often caused because a plant is forced into a habitat or location it’s just not built for.”

A planting area next to a sidewalk or driveway is exposed to more heat, for example, than other locations. “Native, moisture-loving woodland plants will be short-lived in a sunny, dry area next to a sidewalk. They’re built for a shady, moist habitat,” says Friesen-Hughes.

Gardening, however, is all about experimenting, says Friesen-Hughes.

“Build your garden primarily with reliable plants that are appropriate for your site. Lean on tough native plants that you are familiar with. Use big grasses, medium grasses and big perennials that are going to stand out.”

Rich, fertile soil with lots of moisture is usually not compatible with tough plants.

“Their stems can flop or they may develop root rot because they are growing too big, too fast. It can cause them to die out early,” says Friesen-Hughes. “Plants such as Russian sage and globe thistle like lean, gravelly soils. They’re used to working hard to access nutrients from the soil. When you put them in a garden with soil rich in nutrients, they’ll get huge and flop over. Sometimes they die early.”

Friesen-Hughes also recommends experimenting with new plants you haven’t grown before. “Expand your planting palette a bit. There are lots of great plants and an opportunity to try them in your garden to see how they thrive.”

Friesen-Hughes has been experimenting with growing different varieties of echinacea coneflower, although his favourite variety is Magnus coneflower. “It’s super-dependable and comes back every year,” says Friesen-Hughes.

He’s also experimenting with growing Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master, a unique perennial native to the central and eastern U.S. It features clusters of small, egg-shaped flower heads atop stiff branched stems with sword-shaped leaves. It is said to be hardy to Zone 3, but seeing is believing.

Still, Friesen-Hughes’ favourite plants are the ones he knows he can rely on and that keep pollinators coming back. “Grasses such as Bluestem, switch grass and Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) are superstars,” he says. “Native yarrows and cultivars of yarrows are amazing. Yarrow can grow in a gravel driveway — anywhere really — although I don’t think it would be happy long-term in a really fertile soil.”

Allium Millenium is an exceptionally drought-resistant plant which puts on a beautiful display in summer. Friesen-Hughes also highly recommends sea holly and sea lavender.

“Both are stunning plants with waxy leaves that help them to retain moisture,” he says.

Once established, a landscape planted with resilient perennials and native grasses can survive on natural rainfall alone.

“A plant community that functions as a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem is capable of handling extreme weather, an abundance of water or summer drought,” says Friesen-Hughes. “It can also be ecologically beneficial, low-maintenance in the long term, and beautiful.”

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