Herb Gardening in a world of changing climate...
The Native Herb Conservation committee of The Herb Society of America, Inc. is focusing attention on two major areas: 1) Herbs Native to North America, and 2) The Conservation Status of Herbs.
HERBS NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
On this website you will find a section dedicated to Notable Native Herbs, Trees, and Shrubs. Each year the Native Herb Conservation committee selects a Herb of the Year and a Tree/Shrub of the Year. Fact Sheets are developed for each of these and are posted on this site and appear on the website for the Herb Society of America.
CONSERVATION STATUS OF HERBS
On this page you will find some of our research into the status of herbs around the world. This work us just beginning, so watch for information to be posted from time to time.
CLIMATE CHANGE
While a 1.5 degree change doesn't sound like much, we are already watching the dramatic melting of glaciers in Montana at Glacier National Park. The ice of Greenland is melting faster than expected, as well as in Alaska and the Arctic. Storms are erratic as are temperature swings even here in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Summers are hotter and drier for many of us. And it will get worse. Spring and Fall seem shorter, with longer summers and winters.
The focus on this page is adapting our gardening styles to changing conditions. Those old Zone maps we used to count on serve little purpose at this point. That means we CAN grow some plants we thought might not do well here, and some old favorites may need tender loving care to stay in our gardens.
We will report our findings as we can, and we encourage suggestions from you--just drop us a note using our Contact Form (we will keep all information anonymous unless you specifically state that we may use your name).
Just to get started, we suggest a few simple steps:
1. Consider the water needs of each plant species. Some require more water than others, which means more work and money for you.
2. Xeriscaping, gardening and landscaping with little to no supplemental watering or irrigation, is back in style!
3. Pay close attention to the movement of the sun across your gardens. With temperatures creeping up, full sun may be too much for thin-leaved, water hungry plants. You may need to move them to a part-sun location.
4. Mulch may help, but brings some problems of its' own. Pine bark mulch can raise the acidity of your soil. Oak leaves are thick and break down slowly, so run a mower over them before using. Maple leaves are thin and mat together when damp, keeping your soil moist--maybe a little too moist and encouraging slugs. Be mindful of what you choose and think about planting things close together to reduce the need for mulch. Old cottage gardens were beautiful--masses of a variety of plants and ornamentals--making a lovely, useful, diverse, healthy garden. The perfect place for HERBS!
5. Consider reducing the amount of lawn in your landscape - save the water for gardens of vegetables, herbs, and flowers! A lawn is a mono-culture, which is not a healthy environment. We need to adjust our thinking about what makes an attractive lawn/landscape!
HERBS NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
On this website you will find a section dedicated to Notable Native Herbs, Trees, and Shrubs. Each year the Native Herb Conservation committee selects a Herb of the Year and a Tree/Shrub of the Year. Fact Sheets are developed for each of these and are posted on this site and appear on the website for the Herb Society of America.
CONSERVATION STATUS OF HERBS
On this page you will find some of our research into the status of herbs around the world. This work us just beginning, so watch for information to be posted from time to time.
CLIMATE CHANGE
While a 1.5 degree change doesn't sound like much, we are already watching the dramatic melting of glaciers in Montana at Glacier National Park. The ice of Greenland is melting faster than expected, as well as in Alaska and the Arctic. Storms are erratic as are temperature swings even here in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Summers are hotter and drier for many of us. And it will get worse. Spring and Fall seem shorter, with longer summers and winters.
The focus on this page is adapting our gardening styles to changing conditions. Those old Zone maps we used to count on serve little purpose at this point. That means we CAN grow some plants we thought might not do well here, and some old favorites may need tender loving care to stay in our gardens.
We will report our findings as we can, and we encourage suggestions from you--just drop us a note using our Contact Form (we will keep all information anonymous unless you specifically state that we may use your name).
Just to get started, we suggest a few simple steps:
1. Consider the water needs of each plant species. Some require more water than others, which means more work and money for you.
2. Xeriscaping, gardening and landscaping with little to no supplemental watering or irrigation, is back in style!
3. Pay close attention to the movement of the sun across your gardens. With temperatures creeping up, full sun may be too much for thin-leaved, water hungry plants. You may need to move them to a part-sun location.
4. Mulch may help, but brings some problems of its' own. Pine bark mulch can raise the acidity of your soil. Oak leaves are thick and break down slowly, so run a mower over them before using. Maple leaves are thin and mat together when damp, keeping your soil moist--maybe a little too moist and encouraging slugs. Be mindful of what you choose and think about planting things close together to reduce the need for mulch. Old cottage gardens were beautiful--masses of a variety of plants and ornamentals--making a lovely, useful, diverse, healthy garden. The perfect place for HERBS!
5. Consider reducing the amount of lawn in your landscape - save the water for gardens of vegetables, herbs, and flowers! A lawn is a mono-culture, which is not a healthy environment. We need to adjust our thinking about what makes an attractive lawn/landscape!
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Plant selection ideas:
Penstemon, Flax, and Winecups grow naturally in full sun, dry areas. They should do well here, too. Sunflowers are a natural for hot, dry weather and come in many sizes. Consider shrubs and trees that will adapt to our changing climate too. A complete list of suggestions will be added to this site soon. Photos courtesy: Katherine K. Schlosser |