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Kitchen Garden: Photo credit Homestead and Chill
Hello friends,
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
For this months letter I am just going to jump right in with what is on top of mind for me.
With all of the hot weather around the country lately (and for the foreseeable future) I have been wondering how can we change our minds about the landscape, particularly lawns.
Did you know lawns began as a sign of affluence - and to some degree still signify the same thing. It was a sign that one had enough land to grow all of the food they needed, have space for livestock and then the ‘extra’ space became the leisurely lawn, showing off how much was owned. With food scarcity, low quality food, poor soil and water quality all around us we can turn to our yards and gardens (of all sizes) to shift towards ecological landscapes - check out this recent NY Times article & pictures. Growing more food, wildflowers, herbs, or at very minimum a lawn that is suitable for your location is a very approachable way to start. There are many options for your microclimate (shady, sunny, dry, moist, windy) so you won't have a lack of plants to choose from.
For those who like a space to play with the kids or pets or have a backyard gathering now and then- you CAN still have a lawn, just one that provides more than a flat, green swath of a monocrop. The beloved lawn requires a vast amount of water, time and energy. Not to mention fertilizers, insecticides, fungicide, moss-killer and more. All of which remain in the environment for very long and cause serious health concerns.
So can we find the balance between creating a yard that we love and one that is not detrimental to the rest of the landscape long into the future?
Yes, you can!
An easy start is to look for more drought tolerant plants, native plants, multi-functional plants and try to move away from annuals. To go a step further let’s plan and plant for more diversity, healthier soils full of beneficial insects, worms, and fungi - add variation in plant sizes and heights, varied root depth, diverse flower shapes and colors for pollinators.
“A lot of people, when they hear a phrase like ‘ecologically sound landscaping,’ they think they are giving up something. But they are not — it only enhances the experience.” Mr. Darrel Morrison.
Some of the ways I have been working with clients to create more ecologically sound landscapes this year has been to design and build many pollinator gardens and edible/medicinal gardens (see a one year before and after below). These gardens incorporate many layers, functions, and resources while requiring as little input as possible. However, Low-maintenance is not no-maintenance!
I look forward to continuing the conversation about ecological landscapes with you - feel free to send me questions.
Stay healthy, happy and keep your hands in the soil!!
~ Lisa
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