http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/drought-smart-plants-blog.html Drought Smart Plants Blog keeps you up to date with all the latest information about creating your xeric garden. en-us drought smart plants Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:02:41 GMT Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:02:41 GMT drought-smart-plants.com http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-garden-craft-water-jug-cottage.html Making rustic garden crafts not only beautify your xeric garden, they can be useful too. Making a water jug cottage is a unique project to make your irrigation system fun again. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:02:40 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-garden-craft-twig-obelisk.html Rustic garden crafts like a twig obelisk adds a country feel to your xeric garden, as well as using what could otherwise be waste. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:00:35 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-garden-craft-twig-fence.html Rustic garden crafts like a twig fence adds a country feel to your xeric garden, as well as using what could otherwise be waste. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:58:37 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-garden-craft-barnboard-potting-bench.html One of my favorite projects, after twig fence building, is making garden furnishings such as seating, tables or rustic potting benches. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:56:44 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/sheet-composting.html Sheet composting is the technique of composting in a low bed, rather than a bin situation. It can contribute to soil enhancement, as well as a weed free planting bed. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:50:31 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/lasagna-gardening.html Lasagna gardening is similar to sheet composting, but you actually never turn this or dig it over. In fact, you never have to do anything to it again, except add more ingredients to your lasagna. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:06 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/hot-bed.html A hot bed is a perfect way to use compost from the chicken house due to its heat producing potential. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:36:21 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/chicken-pen-compost.html The chicken pen compost is in an outside area that I put leaves, garden refuse, horse manure and old hay where the chickens can scratch to their hearts content. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:25:15 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/chicken-house-compost.html Chicken house compost is nutrient rich and valuable if processed properly. I raise my chickens using the deep litter method which provides lots of great compost. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:17:22 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/bio-diversity.html Bio-diversity is more than simply avoiding mono-cropping. It is a system of actively seeking to combine as many life forces as possible into an area. This means soil life, insects, and plants. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:11:08 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/hedgerows.html In many places in the UK, and other parts of Europe, hedgerows historically were a familiar sight in the countryside. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:08:23 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/pests.html Eliminating pests in your xeric gardens organically will give you a considerable advantage over other gardeners Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:59:20 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/windbreaks.html Windbreaks are similar in design to shelterbelts, but can also be made from other materials than plants. A good windbreak will only slow or re-direct the wind, not stop it entirely. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:39:54 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/urban-farming.html Urban farming is a groundswell movement of growing food in cities and towns; in fact, anywhere other than a countryside setting. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:33:17 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/mulching.html Mulching is one of the most important techniques in any self respecting organic garden. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:18:53 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/thyme-project.html Show off your thyme project - brag it up! We all want to hear about it. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:31:31 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/weeds.html Weeds are just plants that we have no use for - yet. Alternatively a weed is any plant growing in the wrong place. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:29:07 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/your-xeric-garden-project-sarah.html Your xeric garden project can be included on a web page. Here you can see examples of my customers projects, and get inspired. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:11:40 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/fire-smart-gardening.html Fire smart gardening is one way to protect your home from the wildfires that are now more and more common. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:29:35 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/drought-smart-strategies.html Many plants are genetically inclined to have drought smart strategies, others not so much. They can however be trained to be more drought smart than they were born for. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:17:55 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeric-garden-tour.html What could be more fun than a xeric garden tour with a group of like-minded people, whether it's a birding group or a garden club, to an inspiring and exciting garden? Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:01:11 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/vermicomposting.html Vermicomposting or worm farming is the process of producing excellent quality compost using worms. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:52:16 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/wildflowers.html Wildflowers will attract many insects especially butterflies to your garden. Plant a wildflower meadow, green roof or nectar corridor to provide the insects with food and shelter. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:48:44 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/water-capture.html Water capture can be as simple as putting a bucket under the downspout, or as complex as multiple cisterns and rain barrels with taps, pumps and hoses to deliver the water to it's destination. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:49:25 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/nectar-corridor.html Butterflies and other pollinators will follow a nectar corridor in their migrations - help them out with your very own nectar corridor. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:24:30 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rain-gardens.html Rain gardens are another way to capture water in your xeric garden. With the climate changing so rapidly rain rarely falls in carefully measured amounts at the right time for your garden. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:15:11 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeric-garden-wildlife.html Xeric gardens are not a sterile desert - there are many kinds of wildlife, birds and reptiles who are attracted to the conditions they find there. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:00:44 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/shrubs-for-xeriscaping.html Shrubs for xeriscaping can range in size from sub shrubs such as Paxistima canbyi, to Jostaberry. The range of types and growth habits is as wide. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:33:40 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/eggporeum.html Construction details for The Eggporeum, or, why I built it. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:06:34 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/composting.html I have been addicted to composting for as long as I can remember. My family always had a compost pile, and I was ignorant of many facts about them until I started gardening myself. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:55:13 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/help-identify-please.html I bought this echeveria last spring, but have lost the tag. Several have said it is 'shaviana', some have said 'runyoni', and others have said 'lauii Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:08:45 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/chickens.html A small flock of chickens can be worth their weight in gold in your garden. Not only are they pest catchers and egg producers, they are also wonderful at stirring up the compost, and they also add th Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:31:40 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/green-manure-cover-crops.html Planting green manure cover crops is an excellent way to add organic matter to your garden fast, and this can be done while the crop is still growing or after harvesting, depending on the type of crop Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:17:27 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/green-roof-soil.html What is the Best Green Roof Soil? Soil for green roofs has to fulfill certain characteristics. It must be light weight, have good water retention, and also good drainage. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:48:36 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/how-to-grow-thyme.html Instructions and tips on how to grow Thyme in your garden. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:46:17 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/jovibarba.html Jovibarba, the other hens and chicks. Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:45:33 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-crafts-from-a-xeric-garden.html You can use many natural things from your xeric garden to make neat and unique rustic crafts. Embellish other found and salvaged items to display or even better, to use in your garden. Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:16:52 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/about-drought-smart-plants.html All about Drought Smart Plants and me or; My Life in a Nutshell. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:53:53 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/sustainable-gardening.html What is Sustainable Gardening? In an ideal world, all the inputs, or whatever you put into your garden would equal the outputs, or whatever it produces. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:32:48 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/rustic-garden-craft-twig-gazebo.html Designing and building a twig gazebo is a challenging project. If , like me, rustic crafts fill your garden providing drama and delight, a twig gazebo could be next. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:37:25 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeriscape-design.html Use these ideas and principles for your xeriscape design. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:03:27 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/signs-of-the-thymes.html It's signs of the thymes that you'll find here... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:44:43 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/glory-be.html Construction details of Glory Be; the root cellar Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:15:31 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/philosophy-of-a-xeric-gardener.html One Xeric Gardeners Philosophy. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:47:03 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/sedum-and-succulent-nursery.html I have always been fascinated by succulent plants, including Sedum, Sempervivum and tender succulents. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:36:02 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/blue-fox-farm.html Blue Fox Farm is my little nursery, nestled in a wooded canyon about 15 kilometers north of Grand Forks, British Columbia. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:22:03 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeric-garden-style.html Defining your xeric garden style will depend greatly on your own personal style, and on the style of your house or other buildings on your property. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:13:39 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeric-garden-insects.html If you could count all the insects in a xeric garden, the number would be huge. I'm constantly amazed at the constant low buzz in my xeric garden on a sunny day. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:54:15 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/miniature-landscapes.html Miniature Landscapes, Miniature Railways and Miniature Villages fascinate and amuse kids of all ages. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:44:44 GMT http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/xeric-gardens.html Xeric gardens, or water wise gardens, are not necessarily a dry desert looking place, with cactus and rocks, although rocks can certainly play a part... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:42:28 GMT