By Debbie Boyer
 
Have you heard the terms, "sustainable" or "local" lately?  I was thinking about these catchwords the other night while planting some lettuce in my young vegetable garden.
 
This will be our 3rd year in our down-size.  We saw that the economy was taking a turn, my husband was retiring soon and the kids were getting out on their own.  It was time to sell the big house and move into a renovated 50's ranch on a flat 1/4 acre lot.  I for one, was excited.  We had a  brand new yard with new choices to be made.
 
Our previous yard was on a hill with several tiers.  At the top of the yard in the sunniest spot was the vegetable garden.  It consisted of 4 small raised beds built from cedar boards and filled with top soil.  We did not grow much there; a few tomatoes, a nice bed of herbs and some lettuce were about the only things we managed.
 
As a child, I would ask my parents every year if I could have a vegetable garden.  The answer was always "no".  Since my mom and dad were young and living on farms during the depression I guess they might have felt that the lawn and patio with a few select trees and shrubs was a sign of affluence, an easier life.  One of our adjoining neighbors, Phyllis, would always run a couple vines of cucumber under the fence.  "You can have whatever grows on your side", she would say with a wink.  On the other side of the yard there was Mrs. Deveca.  The chickens she kept would wake me on summer mornings.  Her yard was an Eden of fruits and vegetables.  She would scorn us loudly as we would climb the fence, reaching as far as we could to pick her perfect raspberries.  I would have to venture to guess that Mrs. Deveca was pretty "sustainable" and how much closer to "local" can you be then in your own backyard?
 
So what have we done in our new yard?  A combination.  We have kept some of the lawn, enough for croquet.  In some areas close to the deck, and in a nice border along one side of the yard, there are ornamental plants.  Then there is the edible garden.  The pie cherry tree was enough for a friend and myself last summer to come up with a few pies and the espaliered asian pear gave a few fruits last year but has the potential for an amazing abundance this year.  Our Stupice and Brandywine tomatoes where so heavily laden last year that we supplied the neighbors, friends, our children and their friends...fresh corn was made into corn cakes and basil into pesto.  We were even able to get three nice watermelons.  The list goes on.  What I am realizing now is that we have run out of room in the designated area.  So what now?  Re-think old ideas.  Looking beyond the separation of garden areas, I think my strawberries will look just fine growing under my paper bark maple and that italian prune tree will add interest to the back border mixed in with the shrubs and perennials.
 
My husband and I are becoming more "local" and "sustainable" every year.  I am hoping that the nation as a whole will drift in this direction, not only out of necessity but out of pure enjoyment and understanding.  It was very exciting for me to see some of the White House lawn being transformed into a vegetable garden.  What a great experience for the young Obama girls and an inspiration for the rest of us.  Maybe we will have a change in our perception and come to see vegetable gardening as a sign of modern day affluence

By Crystal Cady
 
   You might think I'm referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson appearing in your corn field, but rather the title speaks of attracting nature's creatures we all lust after. Gardeners alike salivate at the thought of hummingbirds and butterflies dancing about their garden all season long. To be relaxing on your porch on a mid-summer's eve sipping on a 'drink' while our feathered friends are racing frantically about your garden looking for their drink is surely peaceful entertainment for the evening.
   Not a day goes by when I am asked how to best invite these beauties into the garden. It isn't as simple as just planting a red tubular shaped flower and standing watch. To really attract hummingbirds and butterflies your garden must encompass all facets of their lifestyle. Just like humans these creatures eat, drink, sleep, and breed. By creating a backyard habitat they can truly live in, not just visit, you will ensure that you are doing everything you can to make them feel like one of the family. Whether you build a garden based around hummingbirds, butterflies, or both, most often what attracts the hummers catches the interest of butterflies too!
   Hummingbirds are such a beautiful and delicate species. Here in the valley they start arriving near the beginning of April and persist on through frost into late fall. A successful garden provides places to perch, shelter from weather and predators, areas to breed, and nectar sources from April to frost. Hummingbirds prefer to nest in shrubs or trees that reach a mature height of about fifteen feet. Adding species such as a Flowering Crabapple, Silk Tree, Tulip Tree or Flowering Quince provides such a habitat for hummers to begin to nest and create a safe environment in which to rear young. By choosing plants that bloom at several different times throughout the season and that often overlap each other in bloom time you are certain to provide the energy source hummers need. The Willamette Valley's long growing season and generally mild winters allow us to have plants practically year around that invite hummers right on in. Try adding one to two plants to your garden that each bloom in a different month from April through September. See Crystal's favorites below for some good picks! Shelter and nectar simply aren't enough though. Hummingbirds, especially nurturing mothers, often seek protein and nutrients from other sources such as ants, aphids, and even mosquitoes. What may be a pest to us is sought after by them. Letting a few desirable weeds and wildflowers persist in your garden becomes an added attraction to your hummer habitat. A clean hummingbird is also a happy hummingbird. Hummers like a little bit of water, be it the mist from a sprinkler or a droplet of rain. Try planting an area for them with plants that like moist feet such as Lobelia and Eupatorium.
 
Crystal's Favorites to Attract Hummingbirds
April-Chaenomeles speciosa 'Texas Red', Ribes sanguineum 'King Edward IV', Aquilegia 'Tequila Sunrise', and Heuchera 'Crimson Curls'
May-Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Syringa patula 'Miss Kim', Agastache 'Blue Fortune', and Campanula glomerata 'Joan Elliot'
June-Lonicera japonica 'Purpurea', Fuchsia 'Prince of Orange', and Digitalis 'Pam's Choice'
July-Hebe 'Great Orme', Nepeta x faassenii 'Walkers Low', and Lobelia fulgens  'Queen Victoria'
August-Salvia chiapensis, Phygelius 'Fanfare Coral', and Monarda 'Raspberry Wine'
September-Penstemon 'Raven', Crocosmia 'Lucifer', and Hosta 'So Sweet'
 
It isn't just enough to provide enticing flowers for butterflies to land on. They too want to wine and dine just like the hummingbirds. Although they may pass through your garden, to be a frequent flier you have to really provide them a first class ticket to your backyard. Butterflies as well need an environment that provides a place to eat and breed. They are so unique in the way their lifestyle changes from egg, to caterpillar, to pupa, and then butterfly. By providing a place to lay eggs, plants for the caterpillar to eat, a sheltered branch to hang a cocoon, and a healthy environment to emerge you are doing all the right things to keep them coming back for more. Select an assortment of plants from trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, bulbs, and annuals to truly create a habitat they will tell their friends about. As with hummingbirds you want to create a welcoming environment from first leaf to first frost. Below is a list of some of my favorite plants that offer a welcoming habitat for butterflies.
 
Crystal's Favorites to Attract Butterflies
Trees-Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy', Cornus florida x nuttallii 'Eddie's White Wonder', Salix 'Scarlet Curls'
Shrubs-Ceanothus 'Dark Star', Caryopteris 'Grand Bleu', Lagerstroemia 'Acoma', Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty', Spiraea 'Magic Carpet' and 'Little Princess', and Lonicera tartarica 'Arnold Red'-(Watch out for this one though, it's an aphid magnet!)
Vines- Lonicera hybrid 'Harlequin', Clematis jackmanii, Wisteria sinensis 'Caroline'
Perennials- Achillea 'Summerwine', Asclepias tuberosa, Astilbe 'Hennie Graafland', Baptisia australis, Coreopsis 'Full Moon', Delphinium 'Blue Butterfly', Echinacea 'Big Sky Sundown', Hemerocallis 'Little Grapette', Knautia macedonia, Leucanthemum 'Snowcap', Liatris 'Kobold', Nepeta subsessilis, Salvia 'Caradonna', Teucrium chaemaedrys, Thymus 'Magic Carpet', Verbena bonariensis, Veronica 'Eveline'
Bulbs- Dahlias, Gladiolas, Lilies
Annuals- Ageratum 'Artist Blue Violet', Chocolate Cosmos, Lantana 'Confetti', Marigold 'Safari Mix', Nicotiana 'Bingerdon Brown', Petunia Surfinia 'Amethyst', Zinnia 'Profusion Cherry'
 

Gardening is ranked as one of the number one leisure activities in America.  As a result, gardeners can have a significant impact locally and regionally by incorporating some sustainable practices into their garden. Creating an environmentally friendly garden will require more initial planning, but in the end gardeners reduce the amount of labor, water, fertilizer, and pesticides needed in their garden.
 
Healthy soil is the first step to a sustainable garden. Mulching your soil adds organic matter that increases soil fertility and improves soil structure, prevents weed growth, and reduces moisture evaporation from the soil. 
 
Composting is a great way to use materials in your yard and kitchen to help improve soil fertility, increase the soils water holding capacity, and minimize the costs of sending yard debris to the landfill. It is estimated that leaves and grass clippings comprise as much as 18 percent of landfill volume. 
 
When it is necessary to fertilize an organic fertilizer is best. It is best to look for a fertilizer that contains beneficial mycorrhizae, specialized fungi that establish symbiotic relationships with plant roots. Mycorrhizae help plants to absorb nutrients, assist in drought tolerance and create ideal garden soil structure, soil that drains, breathes and retains optimum moisture.
 
For disease and insect control consider introducing beneficial insects and birds into your garden.  Ladybugs, praying mantis, and hummingbirds are amazing predators and can be an effective control for aphids, mites, and other insect pests. By increasing the biodiversity in your garden you can attract natural predators to your yard. Select plants that will provide nectar sources for beneficial insects and wildlife and create different height zones in your garden to provide habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
 
When natural predators are not an option consider the least toxic control:
- Horticultural oil for scale and mites
- Bt for caterpillars, beetles and mosquitoes
- Pyrethrum for many problem insects
- Biological or physical barrier controls like bait traps, hard sprays of water to remove aphids
- Sluggo or diatomaceous earth for slugs and other crawling insects.
 
A sustainable garden uses water wise plants that reduce the need for extra irrigation. The U.S. EPA reports that approximately 30 percent of the water used daily by a family of four in the U.S. is devoted to outdoor uses such as watering lawns and gardens.  Incorporating drought tolerant and native plants into your garden can help reduce the amount of water you use in your garden.
 
Finally, it is important to buy local.  Buying plants from local nurseries reduces energy use and other negative environmental impacts of shipping and it also ensures that plants are adapted to local environmental conditions. Most local nurseries buy plants from local growers, further reducing the environmental impacts of gardening. 
 
For more information on sustainable gardening visit you local nursery and talk to a nursery professional to learn more about sustainable gardening.