Yes, I did check the calendar and I do know that Earth Day was celebrated over one week ago. But a day of celebration is merely symbolic. The reality is, most people look to the vast global significance and overlook the immediate, as well as obvious. Remember one of Dorothy's closing lines in the Wizard of Oz movie, "I won't go looking any further than my own backyard, there's no place like home?" Well, when it comes to caring for the earth as a whole...being responsible with your own property is the first step. You can have a major impact on our LOCAL environment. Since the inception of the Earth Day movement back in the 70s, I am amazed to see just how many property owners are still practicing applications from that time warp? Are you?
Over the three seasons I have been writing for Saratoga Today, I have
presented a multitude of practices for garden and lawn management to
help property owners become more responsible caretakers of their home
properties and practice more eco-friendly strategies. In the spirit of
Andy Rooney journalism (yes, I love Andy's 60 Minute epilogs!) I
thought a quick re-visit to some of these practices will help you take
part in your personal journey to responsible caretaking of our planet.
Let's first look at the role of overall urban development in our community. Over the past 15 years, major residential and commercial development has taken place. Wildlife habitats have been disrupted. Our close proximity to the Adirondacks and beautiful waterways often give us a false sense of security. We can easily leave town and visit nature in a matter of minutes. But how do we welcome important wildlife elements back onto your property? Birds and butterflies are especially important in the cycle of gardening. They may serve as predators for unwanted insects and assist in overall flower pollination as well as seed distribution. You can draw birds to your gardens no matter what the season. Good garden designs generally include all the elements birds need: food, water, shelter and a place to nest. Two ambitious gals in Greenfield have actually added elements into their property to qualify as a bird sanctuary. Trees can offer insects as a food source to a variety of birds as well as shelter/perching opportunities. So why not plant a tree? Birds love some of our area's favorite blossoming/fruit bearing trees. These include: dogwoods, crabapples and serviceberries. Spruce trees produce cones with seeds that birds will feed upon. They also double as a sturdy shelter/nesting option. Many shrubs also produce fruit late in the season. Birds are especially fond of firethorn, sumac, cottoneaster, viburnum, inkberry, dogwood shrub varieties, fothergilla and witch hazel.
Many flower varieties attract birds for their food. Many bird-attracting flowers double as a butterfly magnet. Good choices for perennials include: rudbeckia, cone flowers, daylilies, hibiscus, geranium, asters, gallardia and beebalm. Try leaving the heads on late in the season and the birds will enjoy feeding on the seeds. Why buy sunflower seeds prepackaged in a plastic bag to feed the birds, when you can grow your own tall beautiful sunflowers? Then watch the birds devour seeds at the end of the season and even spread seeds for new plants next year. Looking for more resources to design your bird friendly garden? On the internet: www.birds.cornell.edu
Another factor that keeps your property both eco-friendly and attractive to wildlife is eliminating the use of pesticides and poisons. It is easier to "Go Green" in your gardening practices than ever before! Organic soil amendment alternatives as well as integrated pest management practices on your property respect the natural ecosystem. Consider the runoff of these products into our water sources. I have mentioned many times the impact of this on the shorelines of Saratoga Lake as well as Lake George.
Many local hardware and garden supply retailers in the area are slow to recognize the value of organic soil amendment alternatives. They continue to offer the 1970s chemical approaches. Great products such as those with the Bradfield Organics line can only be purchased by retailers. The general homeowner cannot access these products individually. Contact your favorite supplier and ask for organic only. Consumers drive the retail market! In our immediate region, the Ballston Spa Agway does carry a limited line of products. I encourage you to check out the options there.
Being eco-friendly on your property also requires management of "storm water run-off." Storm water runoff is the rain water running off rooftops, driveways and streets washing pollutants, soil and other debris into nearby water sources. In addition, when the water rolls off these impervious surfaces it picks up speed and force that can cause local flooding. Urbanization in the region over the past decade has increased overall square footage of man-made surfaces and decreased areas that allow snow melt and rain to seep back into the soils and recharge ground aquifers. Many homeowners have opted out of the use of gutters and leaders for rainwater management. Hard winters in our region often cause icing and damage with these common rain management tools. As a result, a good deal of runoff goes down the storm drains. Improperly placed gutters and leaders wash out good soil and erode areas.
Consider drip lines, and permeable hardscape surfaces to return the water to the ground. Unilock® pavers are now carrying a variety of permeable pavers for residential use. Talk to Tim and the crew at Saratoga Masonry for more information. To conserve and reuse the rainwater, invest in a rainwater harvesting systems such as the Aquascape® RainXchange® system. Homeowners can install these units on their own, or hire a certified contractor. Many existing backyard water features can be "retro-fitted" with the RainXchange® system. With all the tax rebate incentives for "going green" these days, rainwater harvesting is still way off the radar in our region! For more information about this system visit www.aquascapeinc.com or www.rainexchange.com.
If you are using watering systems on your property, make sure they are used at the proper time of day. I cannot tell you how often I see automated systems running full steam in the middle of a hot summer afternoon! Early morning conserves water, reduces degree of evaporation, and is the best time for your gardens to be watered. Also remember to consider re-evaluating your sprinkler heads. New technology from the Hunter® line has improved their nozzles for conservation and more directed use. With the addition of garden bed zones and dedicated heads, you can actually conserve water. Turf can go dormant and return after dry periods. But your large investment in shrubs and plants require more attention. Using dedicated garden bed zones, you can always turn off the turf zones and retain your planting investments in the garden beds.
The last element to consider in building your own backyard ecosystem is that of water. Whether it is a small bubbling feature or a grand scale pond, water features help restore wild habitats and encourage full cycle ecosystems to share with the family. Water gardens mature over the years into a piece of Mother Nature and attract all kinds of wildlife. Remember your seventh grade biology classes? Water brings to life the most basic of biological ecosystem levels through bacteria, protozoa, photo plankton, aquatic plants, good insects, amphibians, and fish. You also bring in the natural predators such as birds, raccoons, and mink. My favorite wildlife visitor to the water garden in the fall is that of the Monarch butterfly.
As the 2009 gardening season progresses, think of ways to "celebrate Earth Day, everyday".....in your own backyard!
Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She is available to consult, design, construct, and maintain outdoor landscape, water gardens, and landscape watering systems. Sue Ann and husband Chip are the ONLY Certified Aquascape® Contractors ins Saratoga County, Members of the Aquascape® Water Garden Excellence Partnership, and trained rainwater harvesting professionals in Saratoga County using the RainXchange® System. Chips specialize in environmentally friendly site-specific designs. For more information visit: www.chipslandscaping.net
Let's first look at the role of overall urban development in our community. Over the past 15 years, major residential and commercial development has taken place. Wildlife habitats have been disrupted. Our close proximity to the Adirondacks and beautiful waterways often give us a false sense of security. We can easily leave town and visit nature in a matter of minutes. But how do we welcome important wildlife elements back onto your property? Birds and butterflies are especially important in the cycle of gardening. They may serve as predators for unwanted insects and assist in overall flower pollination as well as seed distribution. You can draw birds to your gardens no matter what the season. Good garden designs generally include all the elements birds need: food, water, shelter and a place to nest. Two ambitious gals in Greenfield have actually added elements into their property to qualify as a bird sanctuary. Trees can offer insects as a food source to a variety of birds as well as shelter/perching opportunities. So why not plant a tree? Birds love some of our area's favorite blossoming/fruit bearing trees. These include: dogwoods, crabapples and serviceberries. Spruce trees produce cones with seeds that birds will feed upon. They also double as a sturdy shelter/nesting option. Many shrubs also produce fruit late in the season. Birds are especially fond of firethorn, sumac, cottoneaster, viburnum, inkberry, dogwood shrub varieties, fothergilla and witch hazel.
Many flower varieties attract birds for their food. Many bird-attracting flowers double as a butterfly magnet. Good choices for perennials include: rudbeckia, cone flowers, daylilies, hibiscus, geranium, asters, gallardia and beebalm. Try leaving the heads on late in the season and the birds will enjoy feeding on the seeds. Why buy sunflower seeds prepackaged in a plastic bag to feed the birds, when you can grow your own tall beautiful sunflowers? Then watch the birds devour seeds at the end of the season and even spread seeds for new plants next year. Looking for more resources to design your bird friendly garden? On the internet: www.birds.cornell.edu
Another factor that keeps your property both eco-friendly and attractive to wildlife is eliminating the use of pesticides and poisons. It is easier to "Go Green" in your gardening practices than ever before! Organic soil amendment alternatives as well as integrated pest management practices on your property respect the natural ecosystem. Consider the runoff of these products into our water sources. I have mentioned many times the impact of this on the shorelines of Saratoga Lake as well as Lake George.
Many local hardware and garden supply retailers in the area are slow to recognize the value of organic soil amendment alternatives. They continue to offer the 1970s chemical approaches. Great products such as those with the Bradfield Organics line can only be purchased by retailers. The general homeowner cannot access these products individually. Contact your favorite supplier and ask for organic only. Consumers drive the retail market! In our immediate region, the Ballston Spa Agway does carry a limited line of products. I encourage you to check out the options there.
Being eco-friendly on your property also requires management of "storm water run-off." Storm water runoff is the rain water running off rooftops, driveways and streets washing pollutants, soil and other debris into nearby water sources. In addition, when the water rolls off these impervious surfaces it picks up speed and force that can cause local flooding. Urbanization in the region over the past decade has increased overall square footage of man-made surfaces and decreased areas that allow snow melt and rain to seep back into the soils and recharge ground aquifers. Many homeowners have opted out of the use of gutters and leaders for rainwater management. Hard winters in our region often cause icing and damage with these common rain management tools. As a result, a good deal of runoff goes down the storm drains. Improperly placed gutters and leaders wash out good soil and erode areas.
Consider drip lines, and permeable hardscape surfaces to return the water to the ground. Unilock® pavers are now carrying a variety of permeable pavers for residential use. Talk to Tim and the crew at Saratoga Masonry for more information. To conserve and reuse the rainwater, invest in a rainwater harvesting systems such as the Aquascape® RainXchange® system. Homeowners can install these units on their own, or hire a certified contractor. Many existing backyard water features can be "retro-fitted" with the RainXchange® system. With all the tax rebate incentives for "going green" these days, rainwater harvesting is still way off the radar in our region! For more information about this system visit www.aquascapeinc.com or www.rainexchange.com.
If you are using watering systems on your property, make sure they are used at the proper time of day. I cannot tell you how often I see automated systems running full steam in the middle of a hot summer afternoon! Early morning conserves water, reduces degree of evaporation, and is the best time for your gardens to be watered. Also remember to consider re-evaluating your sprinkler heads. New technology from the Hunter® line has improved their nozzles for conservation and more directed use. With the addition of garden bed zones and dedicated heads, you can actually conserve water. Turf can go dormant and return after dry periods. But your large investment in shrubs and plants require more attention. Using dedicated garden bed zones, you can always turn off the turf zones and retain your planting investments in the garden beds.
The last element to consider in building your own backyard ecosystem is that of water. Whether it is a small bubbling feature or a grand scale pond, water features help restore wild habitats and encourage full cycle ecosystems to share with the family. Water gardens mature over the years into a piece of Mother Nature and attract all kinds of wildlife. Remember your seventh grade biology classes? Water brings to life the most basic of biological ecosystem levels through bacteria, protozoa, photo plankton, aquatic plants, good insects, amphibians, and fish. You also bring in the natural predators such as birds, raccoons, and mink. My favorite wildlife visitor to the water garden in the fall is that of the Monarch butterfly.
As the 2009 gardening season progresses, think of ways to "celebrate Earth Day, everyday".....in your own backyard!
Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She is available to consult, design, construct, and maintain outdoor landscape, water gardens, and landscape watering systems. Sue Ann and husband Chip are the ONLY Certified Aquascape® Contractors ins Saratoga County, Members of the Aquascape® Water Garden Excellence Partnership, and trained rainwater harvesting professionals in Saratoga County using the RainXchange® System. Chips specialize in environmentally friendly site-specific designs. For more information visit: www.chipslandscaping.net
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