Rewilding My Lot

I acquired Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata) here in 2023 by transplanting a few excess plants from a park where I volunteer. These plants self-seed readily, although not in an aggressive way, and I have been able to give away some plants myself now.

Lyreleaf Sage has done particularly well in the north-side shade garden, where I hope they will help to reduce soil erosion. They have the advantage of being an evergreen ground cover, so even though the purple blooms don’t last long, I like the look of the red-veined leaves as they serve to hold soil in place.

Near the location of the original plants, there are several small volunteers like these.

At the top end of the pond there is a berm that supports the pond waterfall. I haven’t yet found a good solution for a groundcover that likes that location — I want something that will hold the soil in place well, that will not grow tall, and that will tolerate afternoon sun.

This year I am trying again to cover the berm. I cut any tall annual volunteers (e.g., sunflowers) down to the ground. I realize that they may grow back this season, but I would rather cut them back again than pull them out and disrupt the soil. Two new Woolly Stemodia (Stemodia lanata) have been planted, and I’ve added more mulch onto the mound.

The next task was to add several new Lyreleaf Sages to the berm. The ground is so dry and compact that I have tried two approaches for that to see which is more effective. (The soil condition is a combination of being poor quality to start with and being in a long-term drought.)

The first approach was simply to dig up plants and move them directly to the berm. This was relatively quick in the short term, but will necessitate more care in watering them in their new location until they are established.

The second approach was to take the time to transplant Lyreleaf Sages into small pots with some decent soil, where they may have the chance to develop stronger roots before being moved to their final destination.

There are plenty more tiny Lyreleaf Sages in the garden that could be moved, but I think I’ll wait until I know how the ones I’ve already harvested will do first.