Are you an ecological gardener
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The document provides many practical tips for environmental gardeners to garden in a sustainable way. It recommends using cardboard to kill grass and control weeds, choosing drought tolerant plants that require less watering, providing habitat for wildlife using native plants, taking care of the soil by mulching and using compost, and minimizing the use of chemicals, electricity, and gas-powered equipment when possible. The tips aim to conserve water, enhance the local environment, and garden in an earth-friendly manner.
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Are you an ecological gardener
- 1. ARE YOU AN ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENER? Let’s find out! Psst. .This is not a test Linda R McMahan, Ph.D. Associate Professor Emeritus Department of Horticulture Oregon State University August 6, 2016 Photographs © by author except as noted
- 2. What Do You Think of First? • Water conservation – green roofs, bioswales, water recycling, xeriscaping/waterwise gardening • Wildlife enhancement – habitat, water, food, shelter • Soil improvement – mulching, compost, • Lower energy – remove lawns, solar power, human powered equipment or tasks, sustainable lighting • Grow your own vegetables
- 3. Learn to Love Cardboard • If you want to limit chemicals and have some time, cardboard is your friend • Place on ground to kill grass and control weeds • Cover with mulch for future gardens, mulch or conifer needles for paths, or straw for weed control • Cardboard decomposes and becomes part of the soil •
- 4. Cardboard, continued • Cardboard is usually available from friends and relatives or from your work • It takes 6 months to a year for cardboard to break down to become garden beds • For weed control, replace as needed
- 5. Water Conservation • It matters because an estimated 50% of water use in cities is for landscape purposes • Work with native climate, in Oregon we are Mediterranean or semi-Mediterranean with little summer water Drought tolerant garden near Sheridan Oregon
- 6. Techniques that Reduce Water Use • Choose drought tolerant plants and group them together • Hand water or use drip • Avoid automatic watering unless tuned to the weather • Replace lawns with garden beds • Consider native drought tolerant species Ginkgo, California fuchsia, and sedums
- 7. Conserving Water • A drought tolerant landscape need not be dull or barren • Grow water loving annuals in pots! Blueblossom, bright sunflowers, native mock orange
- 8. Plan your Garden in Advance • Know the plants your choose—Search for information in books or on the web • Avoid buying only what is in bloom at plant sales • Avoid impulse buying to limit inappropriate choices • Avoid species that tend to be invasive
- 9. Many Herbs are Waterwise • Growing herbs as ornamentals creates attractive as well as practical landscapes • Sage, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, lavenders, marjoram, and oregano all work well • Tip: Water loving herbs such as basil or parsley should be grown with vegetables or in pots Lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme
- 10. Avoid or Remove Invasive Plants • Know before you buy- check out GardenSmart Oregon information online • Be ready to refuse free plants from friends • Remove or control reproduction of plants you already have • If you feel comfortable, gently remind friends and neighbors about invasive plants • Remember that “sterile” plants rare are that truly English holly, Daphne laureola, English ivy, Iris pseudacorus, English laurel
- 11. Gardening for Wildlife • Use locally native plants (best for birds, insects, and butterflies) • Avoid cultivars which have little is any biological diversity, bloom altogether rather than staggered • Provide sources of water and appropriate plant foods , preferably avoiding bird feeding stations or hummingbird feeders Example: Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia, is a large native shrub/tree that has nectar, berries, and is a butterfly host plant
- 12. Gardening for Wildlife Include: • Trees for shade and nesting sites • Shrubs for shelter and berries • Groundcovers for secure soil- level habitats • Bright flowers for bees and other insects • Tubular yellow and red flowers for hummingbirds • Night blooming flowers for moths • Host plants for native butterflies Big-leaf maple, red osier dogwood, beach strawberry, twinberry, native bleeding heart
- 13. Selected Host Plants for Butterflies Native to Oregon • Trees- big-leaf maple, alder, ash, willow, cascara • Shrubs-dogwood, elderberry, spirea, ninebark, huckleberry, serviceberry, wild rose • Herbaceous-mallow, bleeding heart, lomatium, violets, penstemon, monkeyflower, columbine Columbine, big-leaf maple, serviceberry, wood rose, stream violet, Douglas spirea
- 14. Include Native Berry Plants for the Birds • Many are available commercially • Ones with blue berries are usually edible by people too! • Pictured here are blue and red elderberries, Oregon grape, evergreen huckleberry, salal
- 15. Use Chemicals Sparingly • Pull weeds by hand or careful tiling, preferably before they set seed • Choose organic based fertilizers if you can • Fertilize minimally (except perhaps veggies) to avoid run-off and over stimulated plants that require yet more water
- 16. Take Care of the Soil • Mulch or bark, 2-3 inches—add more often • Use non-nutrient mulches in landscapes • Avoid hardscape if possible • Use groundcovers to conservemoisture and create habitat- no ivy please
- 17. • Scientific and fancy if you wish, but simple works too • Many methods work so there is no excuse—find one that works for you • Simplest may be “cold compost” in an outdoor container where you add occasional water any brown matter such as leaves or shredded paper Make Your Own Compost
- 18. Techniques for Vegetables • Don’t scrimp on nutrients, but choose organic or natural if you can • Soil, sun, water are all key • Growing your own takes less energy than purchasing, generally • If you can’t grow your own, support Farmer’s Markets
- 19. Minimize use of Electrical/Petroleum- Based Gardening Techniques • Many chemical application use petroleum based ingredients and use energy to produce • Generally, try to use human power first, then electrical, and reserve chemical choices as your last choice
- 20. Instead Look for Natural Products and Methods to Use Less “Equipment” • Hand mow if you have small areas • Hand pull or use hoes for weeding • Hand water some plants to “get in touch” with your garden • Make your own mulch or use natural products such as composted bark
- 21. Choose Plants Carefully and With Purpose • Avoid invasive plants • Consider natives • Consider drought tolerant • Consider an edible landscape • Be the one for your neighbors to copy
- 22. Practical Tips for Environmental Gardeners • Cardboard – learn to love it. Place it over grass or weeds to kill or control them. Cover with bark, mulch, pine/fir needles, or straw depending on the desired future use. • Use less water. Choose herbs and other waterwise plants, “zone” garden areas for different water uses, hand water or use timers to gauge correct amounts. Water only as needed. Replace lawn with garden beds. • Plan your garden in advance for year-round interest, exposure, and water use. Avoid impulsive purchases, which are often water loving or tender plants. Research plant choices for appropriate use.
- 23. More Practical Tips • Avoid or remove invasive species which can harm wild areas. Check GardenSmart Oregon http://www.nature.org/media/oregon/gardensmart-rev- 2010.pdf For ivy removal, see http://www.slideshare.net/lindamcmahan/ivy-removal- factsheet • Share your garden with wild creatures. Provide water, shade, shelter, natural pollen and nectar sources. No artificial feeding required. Avoid pesticides if possible. • Use fertilizers and rich amendments sparingly to avoid overgrowth which increases requirements for more water.
- 24. Still More Practical Tips • Take care of the soil. Use low-nutrient mulches, limit tilling, grow groundcovers. • Make your own compost from non-weedy garden waste, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, etc. Add paper egg cartons, autumn leaves, and other carbon-based materials to round it out. • For vegetables, provide appropriate nutrients and water, natural amendments preferred. Hand weed, grow companion plants to attract pollinators.
- 25. Still More Yet Practical Tips • Use less electrical or petroleum-based energy. Do tasks by hand if possible, choose hand mowing or electrical power for mowing. Use plant-based amendments. • Choose plants carefully to reduce water and nutrient use and lower the probability of inducing invasive plants. Include native plants, North American plants, species plants if possible. Grow those luscious and colorful hybrids in pots on your patio. • Prefer species instead of cultivars to increase diversity for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
- 26. And . . . • Be the one in your neighborhood that other people copy! Have fun, ignore some garden dogma, and help others learn.
- 27. Additional Resources • http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/ec o-gardening_text_for_mg_presentation_2012-09-10b.pdf a teaching fact sheet by Bruce Newhouse – focuses on natives and ecosystems. • From wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_design#Sustaina ble_landscape_and_garden_design Sustainable landscape design, gardening, and practices. Some definitions • Ecogardening factsheets from Cornell University http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening /