Wild places inspire Earth awareness

Sunday is Earth Day, when 500 million people in cities and towns across the U nited States and in 175 countries are expected to participate in marking an event that first attracted a mere 20 million.

It all started in 1970 because Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin senator horrified by an oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast, wanted to set aside one day each year to celebrate the Earth and bring public awareness to this kind of wanton desecration of our planet.

Gardeners who work the soil and nurture plants for food and beauty may feel especially close to the E arth every single day and may wonder how we could possibly damage the planet in any way comparable to an oil spill.

Yet, cumulatively we can and we do, unknowingly, most would hope. But there's too much information filtering through too much media for us to claim ignorance. Sadly, today's gardening has shortfalls.

Fresh water is wasted on overwatered lawns -- and most lawns are overwatered.

Overhead sprinklers are wasteful in areas where drip irrigation could conserve.

Lacking protective mulch, bare soil turns to dust and is eroded by wind and rain.

Exotics and invasive species escape from our gardens and overrun native flora needed by native fauna.

Yard and food wastes from our kitchens and gardens could be composted and turned back into our soils.

Fertilizers, pesticides, yard debris and pet waste flow from our yards into fresh-water sources and wastewater systems. Instead of broadcasting weed-and-feed products, we could spot-treat weeds and apply slow-release fertilizers not containing herbicides that will run off into water systems.

Pests are often incorrectly identified and treated with toxins that move into the water stream.

Master gardeners in the Cooperative Extension Office are available for free advice (565-2608) on all of these issues and information is readily available on such web sites as www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/pmg/pestnotes.

Wild and untamed

Following do's and don't's of sensible gardening practices helps the E arth's health, but it takes visits to wild places to remind ourselves why they're so critical.

No applied fertilizers here, only last year's leaves, stems, and flowers and other natural remains. No irrigation systems. No designed landscapes. Hopefully, no ill effects from our mistakes.

Plants that grow without human intervention are those suited naturally to their microclimates and ecosystems. We appreciate their raw and exquisite beauty when we visit them in nature's untended gardens, but too often we fail to bring the message home that our backyards are part of this same floral world.

The challenge is to integrate our human passion for fussing with plants into the natural environment. Earth Day is a good time to reflect on how best to do just that.

Patience, patience

A visit to Southern California deserts a few weeks ago was a telling reminder of how we can let our expectations color the landscape. We were too early for wildflowers simply because we were too early, but also because of the slow recovery from winter's severe cold.

Stretches of open land looked desolate. It wasn't until we were out of the car, walking and close to the ground, that we could feel more than we first could see.

Grasses and shrubs were still dormant. Annuals weren't ready to bloom. There wasn't a poppy to be seen in the poppy preserve. But in niches and crevices between rocks, we found marvelous sights that could only be seen up close.

When we looked again from a distance, our point of view -- not the landscape -- had changed. The intimate connection had made a huge difference in the observations we brought home.

Helpful companion

When you do venture out into nearby wildlands, a helpful guide to take along is a wonderful collection of photographs put together by Reny Parker, past president of the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Her book is "Wildflowers of Northern California's Wine Country and North Coast Ranges." With input from other native plant experts, Parker has compiled brief descriptions of 360 species native to Sonoma, Napa, Marin and Mendocino c ounties. Besides annual flowers, she includes a sampling of ferns, grasses, vines, shrubs and trees.

The beautiful photographs are detailed close-ups of blossoms but often are paired with a wider shot of foliage, if not an entire plant. Common, botanical, and family names are given. Lists at the end identify nearby places to find wildflowers.

Color-coded p hotos are sensibly arranged from pale to deep hues -- white, yellow, orange, pink-to-red, violet-to blue, and brown-to-green -- a helpful order for identification since a first observation of wildflowers is their color.

Gardeners will be gratified that Parker, who has a colorful drought-tolerant garden in the Cloverdale hills, has noted which wildflowers are appropriate for garden culture.

In sharing her passion for wildflowers in the book and on her W eb site (www.renyswildflowers.com), Parker hopes to encourage us to take a closer look at nature's wonders and be inspired to preserve them for future generations. Her book is available in bookstores or through her Web site.

Rosemary McCreary, a Sonoma County gardener, gardening teacher and author, writes the weekly Homegrown column for The Press Democrat. Write to her at P.O. Box 910, Santa Rosa, 95402; or send fax to 664-9476.