Native Plant Gardens: Spring Gardening Tasks

Episode 14

Spring gardening tasks, growing and maintenance, for native plant gardens and small wildlife habitats

Gardening tasks in spring for a native plant garden are different from vegetable garden and non-native ornamental gardens. These tasks keep in mind the other wildlife species that depend on the  native plant garden. 

•   Growing new plants - add more plant diversity in the garden, looking for local native plants
• When and how to prune
• How to mulch (not always necessary to buy mulch).  Grrowng ground cover
• Fertilizing native plants
• Collecting seeds
• Irrigation

Next episode will continue this series to include tasks specific to birds, pollinators, spiders, insects including butterflies and bees, lizards, toads and  small mammals

Native Plants mentioned in this episode (scientific names are in italics) 

Mexican gold poppy - Eschscholzia californica ssp mexicana 

One of the online native seed company for its seed :

https://www.nativeseeds.org/products/wf035?variant=40837419499674 

Native plants that easily reseed and either aggressive or roots are difficult to pull out

Snake weed : Gutierrezia sarothrae

Desert broom - Baccharis sarothroides

Mexican feather grass: Nasella Tenuissima

Chocolate daisy (chocolate flower, lyreleaf greeneyes): Berlandiera lyrata

Mexican evening primrose: Oenothera speciosa

Native plants that easily reseed but  are easy to pull out and  not aggressive 

Desert marigold - Baileya multiradiata

Ground cover

Frog fruit - Phyla nodiflora : native ground cover, host to butterflies 

Apps mentioned in the episode:

• iNaturalist :  https://www.inaturalist.org/
• Photos  (Apple)