1. Lazy Landscaping Created by: University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener-Anoka County Eva Knudsen

2. What Can We Do? To Do Less Cultural Practices: What you do or don’t do makes a difference Plant Selection: the right plant for the right place and for you Plant Placement: What works best for you and the plant “The gardener in him sold out to the nature-conservationist”

3. Visit Your Garden Regularly

4. Stop Treating Your Soil Like Dirt Compost improves moisture retention and fertility of soil Minerals 45% Air 25% Water 25% Organic matter 2-5%

5. Composting Does not requires elaborate, expensive structures Does not need to be turned Does not have to smell Materials do not need to be added in exact proportions Do not require special chemical starters or activators Compost bins provided by Anoka County

7. Watering Irrigation can lead to problems when performed incorrectly Water early in the morning Install a watering system -With a timer and moisture indicator Use soaker hoses or drip emitters when possible

8. Mulch Suppresses weed growth Maintains soil moisture Stabilizes soil temperatures Prevents spread of soil-borne diseases Prevents soil compaction Improves landscape appearance Increase soil fertility (depending on mulch used) Reduces bark injuries on trunks

9. Organic Mulch Wood chips Shredded bark Pine needles Cocoa bean hulls Straw Leaves Grass clippings

10. Inorganic Mulch Rock Landscape fabric Newspaper Plastic Shredded Tires

11. Living Mulches variegated bishop’s weed Lamium Woodland Phlox Hen and Chicks

12. Mowing Leave clippings on the lawn Keep blade sharp Keep grass about 3” tall Low maintenance grass mixes only need to be mowed 2-4 times per year!!!!

13. Pesticides There is no such thing as a weed-free or insect-free lawn Routine chemicals are not necessary Avoid broad spectrum insecticides Know the difference between annual and perennial weeds Use edging around gardens

14. Fertilizers Routine chemicals aren‘t necessary Know the right time to apply Some plants can do the job

15. Pruning Prune only when necessary Choose plants that need minimal pruning or can be pruned at times when you are least busy Pruning produces tender, succulent growth, which bugs prefer Pagoda Dogwood Cornus alternifolia

16. In the Garden Don’t walk where you plant Let some flowers go to seed for volunteers next season Leave some volunteers to create more diversity Let some herbs and vegetables bolt (flower) In fall, leave some plants and all roots in the soil Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Bleeding Heart Dicentra spectabilis

17. Selecting The “Right” Plant Select plants suited to your region, soil conditions and microclimate Know each plant's ultimate height and spread at maturity Observe plants in your area or at the arboretum Lead Plant Amorpha canescens

18. Plants With Deeper Roots Lead Plant Big Blue Stem Liatris Little Blue Stem Switch Grass Compass Plant Kentucky Blue Brass

19. Go Native Easier and cheaper to maintain Fewer pest and disease problems Require less supplemental watering Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae )

20. Use Grasses Little bluestem Andropogon (Schizachyrium)scoparius Bottlebrush Hystrix patula Prairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans Dixie skipper Atrytonopsis hianna

21. What Trees and Shrubs Can Do For You Improve air, thermal and acoustic environments Enhance occupant comfort and health Contribute to overall quality of life Kentucky Coffee Tree Gymnocladus dioica Kentucky Coffee tree American Linden or Basswood Tilia americana

22. Trees What you should know Mature size Soil Preferences What is going to happen under them? What is going to happen around them? Particular habits The species and cultivars

23. Trees What you should know Mature size Soil Preferences What is going to happen under them? What is going to happen around them? Particular habits The species and cultivars

24. “Messy” Trees Oaks Willows Catalpa Maples Crabapples Mulberry Fruit trees Catalpa Catalpa speciosa Common Mulberry Morus alba tatarica ) Weeping Willow Salix alba tristis

25. “Cleaner” Trees Firs Blue Beech Honeylocust (thornless or fruitless) Tamarack Crabapple (fruitless or persistent fruit) Ironwood Spruce Pine Cottonwood (cottonless) Japanese tree lilac Littleleaf linden Arborvitae Tamarack Larix laricina

26. Small Trees Prairifire Crabapple (Malus sp. "Prairifire") Serviceberries Amelanchier spp. Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis

27. Evergreens Exposer to wind on hilltops or on western walls can cause stress by cold and drought Position as winter protection for delicate plants or wind breaks Know the growth habit of the cultivar (varieties) Know the mature size of plant

28. Shrubs Things you should know: Mature size If they “sucker” When they bloom Soil preferences Light preferences The species and cultivar Lilac Miss Kim Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim ’ False spirea Sorbaria sorbifolia Common Lilac. Syringa vulgaris

29. Site Conditions That Can Stress Plants Winter winds Hot, dry, southern exposures Roads, driveways, or sidewalks Foot traffic Other plants

30. Under Trees

31. Reduced light levels Limited moisture and nutrient availability Tree species with finer foliage and more open canopies let more light through than more densely foliaged species Use perennial species to keep soil disturbance to a minimum Use smaller transplants so holes don’t need to be large

32. Group Plants According To Their Water Needs Hydrozone

33. Group Plants by Their Maintenance Needs Blanket Flower Gaillardia Grandiflora Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides

34. Group Plants According to Light Needs Wild ginger Asarum canadense Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Prickly Pear Cactus opuntia cymochila Yucca spp.

35. Containers May need more watering Use polymers to help hold water Slow release fertilizer pellets or potting soil containing fertilizer helps

36. Make Things Easy Place gardens according to your needs Plant only what you can maintain When do you go on vacation? Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle

37. Make Things Easy Get kids involved Invest in ergonomic tools Get a good wagon or wheelbarrow Get something to carry your tools in

38. Low Maintenance Lawns Most lawn mixes grow best in full sunlight or very light shade

39. Routine Maintenance Once established water only during periods of hot, dry weather Fertilize sparingly, if at all. When necessary, use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring Mow to 4 in. when seed heads develop (end of spring) then monthly to 4 in. or simply leave it alone Remove leaves in the fall Try a small patch as a trial first, for 1 or 2 growing seasons

40. UofM Extension Links Choosing Landscape Evergreens Native Trees for Landscape Use Trees, Shrubs & Vines For Minnesota Landscapes Effects of De-icers on Trees & Shrubs Pruning Shrubs Tough Trees and Shrubs for tough sites Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet’

41. Useful Links: http://www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/ http://www.BlueThumb.org http://www.sustland.umn.edu/ http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues http://plantselector.dot.state.mn.us/ http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/ http://www.for-wild.org/ http://www.northerngardening.com/ http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/nr/index.html