Foolproof Guide to Creating a MiniNature Reserve

How to not kill your native plants

So you’ve decided to oust some of your lawn in order to make way for a Mini Nature Reserve, but you’re a bit nervous. In the past, when you tried to spunk up your garden with new plants, everything perished and now you are fully convinced that you are brown-thumbed. You were so excited to bring home all of those beautiful flowers you found at the nursery that day but by the summer, you get back to where you started. The truth is every good garden (even a native garden) requires planning and acknowledging the realities of your space. Below is a foolproof plan for finally planning a garden that doesn’t die.

The Mini Nature Reserve Project (MNRP) favors a “ground-up” approach to landscape design. In traditional landscape practice, people usually choose the plants they want only taking into account the sun exposure and then change the soil and conditions of their site to allow for those plants to thrive. They might add customized fertilizer to increase the amount of phosphorus or add coffee grounds to make things more acidic. In a ground-up approach, one bases the plant selection on the conditions of the site making no or only minimal changes. An example of this is planting seaside daisies or sea thrift at a beach house.

Sea thrift thriving naturally on a coastal cliff — an example of planting suited to site conditions.

Step 1: Remove any lawn that exists on the site you want to convert to native landscape.

There are many ways to kill grass without resorting to pesticides. MNRP recommends halting watering during a dry period, removing all grass with a hoe, laying down newspaper, and then covering it with mulch.

Step 2: Lay out paths and any hardscape features such as swales and boulders.

Before you do any digging, please call 811 dig alert. People will come out and draw lines where you cannot dig.

Step 3: Know your site

Once all the paths are laid out, the swales are dug, and all the unwanted lawn space removed, you now want to become familiar with the conditions of your site. We recommend testing these conditions in several different spots of your garden, since one spot might differ from another.

Sun exposure

Is it full sun, part shade, full shade? Does it get morning or evening sun? Is it against a south-facing or north-facing wall? Are you planning on putting a tree or a shady structure? The best way to figure this out is to choose a day and check on the site every hour.

Soil texture

Perform a mason jar soil test and then plug the percentages into a soil texture calculator.

Drainage

Dig a one foot deep hole and fill it with water. If it drains in less than half an hour, it is fast draining. If it drains in less than an hour, it is medium. If it still has water after an hour, it is slow draining.

pH

pH tests are available at any nursery.

Square footage

It is important to know the size of the space you are working with so you don’t overcrowd plants. Also take note of observations such as gravel in the soil or proximity to swales. Do some research to learn what type of ecosystem your location supported before it was urbanized.

Step 4: Pick your plants

Once you know all the conditions of your site, base your native plant selection on that. For California, Calscape’s Advanced Search is a great tool—plug in conditions and location for locally native plants.

When you find a plant, calculate the total area of the plant (A = 1/2 plant width squared × 3.14). If your total area of selected plants matches or exceeds the total area of your site, you have too many plants. Leave some unplanted space for wildflower seeds.

Remember to account for plant height and seasonal interest. Use evergreen plants as structure and scatter deciduous plants. Stagger bloom times so there’s always something in flower. Areas near swales hold more moisture; south-facing walls in the Northern Hemisphere are sunnier and drier than north-facing walls.

Step 5: Plant your plants and water them to watch them grow.

The best time to plant native flowers is in the fall right before the rainy season. Dig holes twice as big as the plant container’s width. Fill the holes with water and let them drain multiple times.

Make sure the plant is level with the ground, then create a doughnut-shaped berm around the plant. Create a moat on the other side of this berm to allow water to soak into the soil without touching the crown of the plant.

Give your plants plenty of water during their first few months of life. Wean them off so that by May, you are not giving any more supplemental water.