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What's
your inspiration?
Is
it fond childhood memories of running through fields of wildflowers? Maybe you
remember grandma's garden with sunny marigolds staking claim to niches between
the vegetables because grandma knew they were beneficial for repelling
insects. Whatever
your inspiration, changes that you make in your home landscaping can help preserve and protect the natural beauty of our countryside ... now and for future generations. These “changes” include planting native plants and trees, downsizing or doing away with lawns, and increasing and maintaining “wild areas to help wildlife survive. Native
landscaping also provides you with a unique and personal "space."
... an ever evolving expression of you and the people who share your
landscape.
Where Do I Begin?
Natural
gardening involves the following basic concepts:
-
Plant
as many native plants as you can
-
Reduce
or eliminate lawn areas, converting
them to mulched beds or rain gardens and reducing or eliminating
impervious surfaces such as driveways and other paving
-
Compost
as much yard waste as possible to
enrich the soil with organic matter and keep more waste out of
the landfills
-
Use
rain barrels or cisterns to catch rooftop runoff and conserver
water usage
-
Provide
for wildlife by
incorporating the four basic elements that wildlife need to
survive: Living space; water; food; and cover
Remember
that your natural garden does not need to happen all at once -- you
can make the transformation gradually over several years.
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