Native Plant Demonstration Garden:

A Low-Water, Low-Maintenance Landscape for the Future

Project description: The SNaPP team designed a landscape plan for an area (11 ft x 45 ft) to the south, an area (60 ft x 20 ft) to the east, and an area (90 ft x 90 ft) to the west of the remodeled County Extension Office. The trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs are native to New Mexico or to the Southwest. Candidate plants are all rated as having “low” or “very low” water requirements; final selections were based on very low maintenance requirements. The south plot was planted in a cover crop of hairy vetch and winter rye for three winters prior to implementing the planned planting in 2021. The 3 cisterns have been placed on concrete pads and replumbed so the overflows all feed into the newly reshaped west side.

Funding was provided by The Santa Fe Extension Master Gardeners, The Friends of Santa Fe Master Gardeners, and The New Mexico Native Plant Society.

Educational component: The objective is to reinforce information presented in the SNaPP curriculum with practical examples, to allow hands-on experience for Master Gardeners and interns, and to offer a vibrant setting for educating the public. The initial setup will create opportunities for “how-to” sessions on planting and drip irrigation, similar to those offered at the Wildlife Center. The east and west sides will support an educational component on restoration and remediation of compacted soil with native grasses.

 

Before

SOUTH

SOUTH

WEST

WEST

EAST

Summer 2021

 

Summer 2022

The gardens are in their second year of development.

West

South

East

Erosion Control, East Pollinator Patch

We constructed media lunas, one rock dams, Zuni bowls, and “leaky dams” to manage the water from the small animal barn’s downspouts. We finished by putting down grass seed, blue grama hay, and wood chips. We added a picnic table to create a pleasant hideaway under the apricot trees. 

RESOURCES for MANAGING EROSION: 

SNaPP Practical Tips - Harvesting Rainwater for Your Santa Fe Landscape

Let the Water Do the Work: Induced Meandering and Evolving Method for Restoring Incised Channels — Bill Zeedyk & Van Clothier

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands & Beyond, Volumes 1 & 2 — Brad Lancaster

Zeedyk’s book is geared toward large installations. Lancaster’s books have great ideas for homeowners and are available at the SF Library.

Quivira Coalition Erosion Control Field Guide

YouTube has four short videos showing Bill Zeedyk supervising the construction of large erosion control projects. These are MUCH larger installations than ours; we’ve downsized everything. You can also see some of these systems managing rainwater at Santa Fe Botanical Garden.


Before:

After:

Rain Garden

There was still uncontrolled ponding after the first wave of erosion controls.

So we installed a Rain Garden. Here’s an outline of the process.

Habitat kits Photo 8.JPG

The Xerces Society

Donated habitat kits for planting on the east and west sides.

Pollinator Plants for the Albuquerque and Santa Fe Region

Demo Garden details and plant lists:

West: Native Grasses Restoration

South: Courtyard Garden

East: Pollinator Strip

Monitoring: Progress will be documented in annual photos and soil testing every other year. Beneficial insect monitoring is ongoing. We began in 2020 and collect data twice a month May through September. The data collection process and summary of 4 years’ data were featured in the SFEMG Newsletter, March 2024. Success and succession of native grasses and forbs are recorded as What’s Blooming monthly from April through September.

Classes supported: SNaPP Let’s Grow, Identification of Native Grasses, Beneficial Insect Monitoring, Drip Irrigation, Soil Testing

 
MOCK UP of PLANNED Native Plant Garden

MOCK UP of PLANNED Native Plant Garden

 

1.         Cliffrose (Purshia stansburiana)                      10. Yucca (Yucca glauca)

2.         Grasses (tbd)                                                   11. Giant Purple Sage (Salvia pachyphylla)

3.         Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata)           12. Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)

4.         Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)                   13. James Buckwheat (Eriogonum jamesii)

5.         Santa Fe Phlox (Phlox nana)                           14. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

6.         Rocks                                                               15. Yucca (Yucca baccata)

7.         Pineleaf Penstemon (Penstemon pinifolius)   16. Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium)

8.         Sand Cherry (Prunus pulmilla)                        17. Giant Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii)

9.         Penstemon spp (tbd)