LOW IMPACT LANDSCAPING

A few trends in landscaping are: incorporating eco-friendly designs that: use plants that require less watering, are native, and attract local wildlife; create less lawn and more meadow; use permeable paving material, and create active/passive uses in the outdoors. What can you do with your own property? Homeowners are becoming iancreasingly aware of the impact, and responsibility to, their immediate environment. Here are some suggestions.

Invasive Plants

Invasives can change the ecosystem quickly due to their ability to flourish and spread. We in the landscape industry and homeowners should continue to diligently remove all invasives such as (the more common ones):

• Trees: Black Locust, White Poplar, Tree of Heaven, Bamboo

• Shrubs: Barberry, Butterfly Bush, Burning Bush, Autumn Olive, Privet, Honeysuckle, Nandina Domestica

• Perennials/Grasses: Loosestrife, Pampas Grass, Maiden Grass, Phragmites

• Vines: Porcelain Berry, English Ivy, Bittersweet, Honeysuckle, Autumn Clematis

How to Remove Invasive Plants?

• Pull up roots and all, continuously! They will eventually stop growing.

• Adding mulch and ground covers to prevent sunlight needed for weed seed germination.

• Mow lawns before weed seed heads form.

• In large plots of land, a prescribed controlled burning will work.

• Last resort, use herbicide properly (please read the directions).

Right Plant/Right Place

• Take a fist full of soil from at least 6” below the surface. Clumpy/solid = clay based, falls apart = sand based. Clay holds the water and, therefore, can be more prone to retaining wetness. Sandy soil allows water and nutrients/fertilizer to leach through more quickly and will require additional application. Choose the correct plants according to your damp or dry conditions.

• Lear n how tall and wide plants will grow. Learn if it prefers sun or shade. Install accordingly.

Water Runoff

Downspouts should NOT empty onto a neighbor’s property or the street. Create a low area (rain garden) that will hold most of the runoff and install plant species that prefer damp/wet soil. Rain Garden construction and plant lists can be found on the internet. Here is an excellent example: https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-builda-rain-garden-in-your-yard/#:~:text=Create%20the%20 rain%20garden%20by,to%20the%20different%20water%20 depths.

Native Plants

Try to use pure/”straight” native species as much as possible. Natives support more varieties of native insects than cultivated varieties. Natives have a much stronger ability to survive local climate extremes and conditions. A second option is to choose cultivated or a “variety” of native plants. Also, choose a variety of plants so they provide bloom times throughout the year for bees and butterfly pollination and nectar opportunities. A few suggestions: Mountain Mint (it doesn’t spread), Joe Pye Weed, Coreopsis, Aster, Coral Bells, Phlox, Coneflower. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pollinator-gardens

Reduce Lawn Areas

Constant watering (irrigation), herbicides, pesticides, and regular mowing are required to maintain a green, weed free lawn. To reduce those environmental detriments, consider setting aside areas and allow the turf to mature and other species will grow. If native perennials and grasses are introduced to those areas, we can create a positive environmental impact. Another excellent source of information about turning lawns into meadows: https:// extension.umd.edu/resource/converting-lawns-diverselandscapes-case-studies

Written by: Meredith Watters, MLA Landscape Designer, Chester River Landscaping