Building a sustainable landscape

The first principle of sustainable landscaping is to build biodiversity and grow native plants. I am thankful for my wonderful customers who are putting this principle into practice. I sold over 500 native plants and shrubs this spring which is a huge win for our community!

The next principle of sustainable gardens is to reduce your lawn. Summer is the perfect time to decrease a section of lawn (or weeds) by simply cutting them short and covering the area with cardboard and woodchips or solarizing the area with plastic sheeting. By reducing your lawn, you help decrease water runoff and create more space for habitat.

Lastly, we can manage water runoff in our landscapes. During rainfalls it is easy to look for areas where water runs and collects. These are ideal areas to plan a native rain garden or to place your water loving native shrubs and plants. It is also an ideal time to look at your downspouts and determine where you could install rain barrels or french drains.

Many native perennials do great with consistently wet feet: swamp milkweed, swamp sunflower, cardinal flower, joe-pye weed, wild geranium, turtlehead, black eyed susan, mountainmint, Culver's root, spiderwort, and New England aster.

Finally, enjoy your garden this month! Look for pollinators, cut some flowers, and spend some time enjoying the garden sanctuary you have created!