Conservation gardening : sustainable practices for a healthy landscape

Spirit Sustainable gardening helps to ensure the health of the greater community as well as that of the individual. Research has demonstrated that gardening reduces anxiety, improves mental health, and can help quicken recovery from illness. It fosters a respect for the insects, plants, and animals that share our backyards. A well-planned, native-focused sustainable garden is a wonder to behold. Additional Resources: North Carolina Botanical Garden: www.ncbg.unc.edu Displays of southeastern U.S. native plants, workshops, daily native plant sale, reference library. Going Native website: www.ncsu.edu/goingnative Includes advice on how to design a home landscape using native plants. Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (Ballantine Books, 1990): A classic realization of the need for a strong, sustainable land ethic. Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press, 2007): Excellent discussion for the proliferation of native species; includes plant descriptions for attracting butterflies and larvae and other native pollinators. Deborah Martin, Grace Gershuny, and Jerry Minnich, eds., The Rodale Book of Composting (Rodale Press, 1992). Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara Ellis, and Ellen Phillips, eds., Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener (Rodale Press, 2009): For years, Rodale has been the go-to source for organic gardening. Helen Kraus and Anne Spafford, Rain Gardening in the South: Ecologically Designed Gardens for Drought, Deluge and Everything in Between (Eno Publishers, 2009): How to build a rain garden; plant lists formulated for southern gardens. Written by NC State Horticulture professors with expertise irrigation and landscape design. Information compiled by North Carolina Botanical Garden The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Campus Box 3375 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Phone 91 9-962-0522 e-mail ncbg@unc.edu web ncbg.unc.edu in Illustrations by Dot Wilbur-Brooks and Sandra Brooks -Mathers Conservation Gardening Sustainable Practices for a Healthy Landscape The North Carolina Botanical Garden at UNC-Chapel Hill employs and promotes conservation gardening practices, Conservation gardening respects the native ecology of a place and promotes the well-being of natural systems and the pleasures of the gardener. A sustainable garden can be multi- seasonal and colorful, formal or informal ; any style of garden can be cared for in a way that nurtures our broader ecological communities. Conservation gardening requires a shift from a human-centric view to a holistic view. Being sensitive to all forms of life and understanding the ecological web helps plan for a sustainable garden. It Starts with Soil Soil is alive. It is! Many gardening activities — composting, mulching, water¬ ing — feed microbes, worms, and fungi living within the soil structure. These organisms feed on organic matter and break it into components plant roots can take up. Though native plants are adapted to local conditions and can often be grown with minimal soil amendment, urban locations typically have disturbed and compacted soils and may require some improvement. The ad¬ dition of organic matter will help create healthy soils, which lead to healthy plants that are better prepared to resist disease and insect damage. Homemade compost is a sustainable source of organic matter. Using home¬ made compost as topdressing, or mixing it with soil when planting, adds valuable organic matter to foster microfauna and soil health, supply nutri¬ ents gradually, and reduce fertilization requirements. Composting plant- based material (vegetables, paper towels, garden waste, etc.) keeps it out of the landfill and saves money on soil amendments. Proper mulch application improves water retention, reduces weeds, and keeps the root zone cool in summer and warm in the winter. Apply two- inches of mulch after initial planting and watering. But before you spend money on plastic bags of mulch, look around your home to see what is al¬ ready there. Nature provides mulch materials free of charge every year! Leaf compost, often available free from municipalities, is a great mulching mate- Continued on next page NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL