DATELINE SANTA FE

Gardening Santa Fe Style

Do you say, “I love your landscaping” or “I love your gardening”? Many times the terms landscaping and gardening are used interchangeably but for me they are distinctly different. Landscaping is a tangible product, an adjunct to your house that ideally adds beauty and value. As a realtor I can speak to it in a quantifiable manner. Gardening on the other hand is a process, a subjective and elusive quality that cannot be easily measured or valued.

Gardening is the process by which landscapes are created yet devotees think of themselves as gardeners rather than landscapers. If you are a gardener and new to Santa Fe behold the transformational journey you are about to embark. The City Different moniker holds true when it comes to gardening. Many temperate climates allow for a wide assortment of plant life to thrive with minimal care but not so here. From high alpine meadows to northern Sonoran desert, we have it all. Santa Fe is uniquely located at the epicenter of five converging ecological biomes and gardeners here are well aware of how challenging it is to create those beautiful gardens you see around town. Here are a few tips to get you going.

Local knowledge is everything. Local gardeners know that they won’t find answers to their gardening questions in books with color-coded zones but from experienced local gardeners. If you see your neighbor out gardening, say hello. Gardeners like to talk about their projects as if they were talking about children or pets. Also seek out professionals; we are fortunate to have many good neighborhood nurseries in town. If you don’t have a favorite, stop by the one closest to your house. You will find the prices are good, the plant quality excellent, and the free knowledge unbeatable. I like to go to Plants of the Southwest because of their native varietals and Newman’s out on the edge of town is another regular stop and the folks there are terrific.

Water zoning is a must. I use three zones on my property. I have an outer zone, which is all natural and requires no watering. I have a transitional zone, which has native drought tolerant trees and plants, and then I have the inner zone where I plant the most water dependant plants including my lovely roses. Since water is precious and drought is a way of life, I budget my water per zone. I try to use all the water for gardening from what I catch in rainfall and collect in my gray-water cistern. When we don’t have the rain, I don’t water the transitional zone and use only gray-water for the inner zone.

Landscaping in terms of adding value to your property is more difficult to assess. While it does add immensely to how a home shows and I believe aids a home in selling quicker, a true dollar recoup is not likely. A National Association of Realtors’ statistic shows that homeowners can expect to see 30% of their investment back from landscaping and that figure may be a bit higher in Santa Fe. But I believe it is necessary to pursue the art of gardening for the effects it will produce and not the money you want to make.

The benefits of gardening are numerous and sure to add years to your life. From the sublime comfort of an early morning stroll through your roses to the existential bliss of watching the cycle of life unfold each season, your psyche and your home will benefit from this satisfying pursuit. Dig it, Santa Fe!

February 20, 2009 Posted by Carson & Carson | Around the House | gardening in santa fe, home and garden santa fe, santa fe gardens, santa fe home garden | Leave a Comment