Even when there's no water.
Remember plants? Those purdy thangs with flowers and leaves? Soon, water or not, these quiet friends of ours will re-emerge, some no matter what we do, some with a bit of prompting. Look out your window. There's probably land out there calling to the agrarian wild-man or -woman buried deep in your winter-blasted cynical soul.
First, a word or two on water, agua, dihydrogen
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monoxide. You may have noticed that there isn't any falling from the sky. In fact, as of March 1, the official measurable precipitation since Jan. 1 was .04 inches. The normal amount for this period is 1.38 inches. Santa Fe Canyon Reservoir is at 58 percent capacity. Right now Santa Fe is under Stage 2 water restrictions (odd-numbered houses can water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; even-numbered houses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; vehicle washing at your home is prohibited; no new grass (either seed or sod) may be planted.) Expect Stage 3 restrictions if we don't get some stormy action by the time winds and heat pick up.
Not to be alarmist, but one of the important activities in getting your yard ready for spring is doing what you can to prevent it from going up in a white-hot ball of incinerating fire, taking your house and every remnant of your life along with it. According to the Santa Fe National Forest Wildland Urban Interface Web site, there are several steps you can take to "create a defensible space," such as clearing dry grass and brush, moving woodpiles away from structures and clearing debris and combustible materials from rooftops, gutters, decks and stairs. Trimming trees so they are six to 10 feet clear of the ground and treating shingles with fire retardant also is a wise step.
Last but not least, provide clearly marked access to your home. Ain't nothing like making that frantic call to the Forest Service firefighting hotline and having to explain "go about a mile until you see the gray rock, make a left at the cottonwood stump, make a sharp right at the wagon wheel…"
Now that we have water and fire out of the way, we can have some fun. Bill Cassidy, of Cassidy's Landscaping, a local firm that has been gussying up people's patches of grit since 1987, suggests several ways to prepare for spring. "Now is a good time for a biweekly deep soaking of trees and shrubs, especially evergreens. This is also the time to trim and prune, certainly by the end of March, before plants start to bud out." Because the average date of last frost in Santa Fe isn't until May 15, Cassidy warns about rushing out annual color or even cold hardy perennials too early. "The biggest mistake we see people make is putting annuals out four to six weeks too early, at the first sign of warmer weather. Frosts can return any time until after mid-May, sometimes hard frosts." Cassidy
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says that getting a head start on irrigation system maintenance is a good idea, with systems turned on by Easter. "But keep an eye out, and if a hard frost is forecast, be sure to turn the system off." Fertilizer is best applied a few times during April and May. Finally, Cassidy emphasizes the importance of soil amendments that conserve water: weed cloth and organic mulch (gravel mulch raises the soil temperature too high over the summer). He also stresses the importance of water harvesting and a well-maintained drip irrigation system. "Water and weather are the two most challenging factors in landscaping in Santa Fe," says Cassidy. The weather we have to grin and bear, but we can do a lot to make scarce water go a long way.
Arina Pittman, managing director of Ecoversity, which offers certificates in Permaculture, Earth Based Vocations, and Beekeeping, as well as ongoing classes in everything from natural dyes to pouring adobe floors, suggests several ways to create sustainable landscaping environments that maximize and conserve water. These include soil sculpting, which is the art of channeling and retaining water by building berms, swales and tree wells. Pittman also recommends using shade plantings and structures in which low-water trees help break sun. It's important to be aware of the orientation of various sections of your yard and incorporate fences and walls when making choices about where to plant. Soil improvements can increase water-holding capacity; be prepared to compost and apply as much as a foot of straw mulch.
As for plant selection: Remember, we live in a high desert, not some rain-drenched lush land of unlimited putting greens and bluegrass. So get used to it.
In short, the best way to get your yard ready for spring is to reduce fire risk, increase water efficiency, get expert advice on plant selection, water harvesting and soil improvement, and get real about Santa Fe's climate. Green, cool, colorful, welcoming and sustainable, a well-planned Santa Fe yard can be much more than gravel and flagstone, while not contributing to the general demise of Southwestern civilization.
