Lexington, KY - With the progression toward "greenness" becoming commonplace with so many individuals and businesses, how has it affected the world of gardening - a practice that by nature is already green? In short, business owners have noticed a definite shift toward water and energy efficiency, watershed control and increasing biodiversity. Popular landscape solutions to environmental problems have included rain gardens, rain barrels and incorporating permeable surfaces into design. We turned to local experts to find out exactly what they're doing in the way of "green" gardening.
NATIVE LANDSCAPING
When Connie May, a native landscaping consultant/designer and former manager of Shooting Star Nursery, first got involved with native landscaping, she felt she was doing native wildlife a service by providing a natural habitat. Today, she realizes the multi-faceted benefits that native landscaping can bring to your own backyard - not only can it provide a wonderful place for children to play and explore, she said, recalling her own childhood wonder of discovering box turtles and frogs in her backyard, but by contributing to the biodiversity of our land, native landscaping ultimately contributes to the survival of mankind.
"We've lost 95 percent of our natural land in America...As the natural land and habitat goes away, species diversity goes away," May said. "If they're not here, we're not here."
In planting native plant life (native in the sense that they existed here at the time of settlement), you are providing the optimal environment for the propagation of native species - from insects to birds - on which the web of life ultimately depends. As an added human instant gratification, gardeners tend to relish the wildlife attracted to these plants, which can include butterflies, hummingbirds and salamanders.
"Non-native plants do not have as many insects on them - the reason they were brought in hundreds of years ago was because they didn't have insects," May said. "But if you don't have native insects in your yard, you don't have birds. It doesn't mean they won't fly through, but they're not going to continue to be there because they can't raise their young without those insects."
To further illustrate the dependence of wildlife on native plants, May pointed to an example that she said many people already know about - the Monarch butterflies, which will only lay their eggs in milkweed plants (which happen to be native to Kentucky). The population of these butterflies - along with many other insects and birds - has been increasingly threatened in recent years due to loss of habitat.
"The good thing is, it's not that hard to turn it around," May said. Research has shown that planting native plants positively affects the biodiversity of a particular landscape very quickly. "Just putting a few natives in your yard will already help to improve biodiversity."
When planted in appropriate spaces and conditions (a very important consideration), native plants are more hardy and drought tolerant than non-natives, and thus don't require as much water, chemicals and general maintenance. While a native garden can be implemented for the same cost or less than a non-native garden, "you get a lot more value from it, because you're not only getting plants, you're getting all that beauty, all that movement," May pointed out.
And perhaps underemphasized in this conversation so far, one of the most wonderful aspects of so many native plants that are native to Kentucky - from the hibiscus rose and the passionflower, to the tulip poplar and the red bud - is that they are absolutely gorgeous.
PERMEABLE SURFACES
As someone whose career focuses on the entire outdoor area of a home, landscaper Ken Owen, owner of Nature's Expressions, has been paying special attention to the increasing local attention on water management over the past few years. "The state, city and county all play a role in addressing these issues, but as homeowners and professional contractors, we can really help with the 'think globally, act locally' mentality," he said. "If we can manage the water on our property and let it dissipate - not just shed it to our neighbors or public property - we will have a great impact on solving many of the drainage issues we face in Lexington."
With many of the runoff issues, Owen said, the biggest culprits are non-permeable, paved areas. As a solution, Nature's Expression has emphasized the use of permeable pavers in large areas.
According to Owen: "Permeable pavers are comprised of a layer of pavers separated by joints that are filled with small stones, which lead down to a crushed stone base. The void spaces between the pavers allow water to enter and travel down among the crushed stone base. Through this process, the water is naturally filtered as it passes through the crushed stone, and is allowed to slowly permeate back into the ground."
In addition to filtering water and reducing runoff, the benefits of these pavers, which Owen considers a great alternative to asphalt, concrete and other permeable pavers, include increased traction when wet (reducing the need for salt in the winter), reduced erosion, and better evaporation and cooling.
For another low maintenance method to control watershed, Owen recommends implementing rain barrels and rain gardens, which can be a great way to incorporate native plants and recycled material such as stones, bricks and lumber, into the design of your yard.
RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE
For Richard Weber, the owner of Springhouse Gardens, designing a landscape is like working a puzzle - you have to take into consideration various conditions of each part of the land to determine what plants will work in specific spots.
"If you look at what the site is telling you, no matter what conditions you have, you can find the plants that will grow in those conditions," Weber said. Carefully matching your conditions with the plants that will best grow there cuts back on the amount of chemicals needed to fight pests, as well as the need to constantly prune or replace plants if they don't survive. "It saves a lot of trouble and energy," he said.
While Weber loves Kentucky native plants, he points out that because many of us no longer have native soil, native plants aren't always compatible in every yard.
"I love natives, and they have a definite niche in our landscape, but so many natives don't like what we've done to our soil," he said. "You have to work with pants that have adapted to the conditions that we've put forth."
In addition to taking special care to match plants with conditions in order to maximize efficiency of water, energy and chemicals, Weber says you can't underestimate the importance of planting trees.
"Planting trees is one of the most economical things you can do while also save all kinds of energy," he said. "It's one of the best systems there is. We need to encourage everyone to continue planting trees."
Springhouse Gardens was recently granted the "Revolutionary 100" award by Today's Garden Center magazine. The award recognizes independent garden centers across the country that have proven to be innovative in some way, taking into consideration areas such as employee training, industry involvement, profitability, marketing, use of technology, purchasing, and customer and community service. "This year they asked a lot about sustainability," Weber said.
Springhouse Gardens has done recent promotions with Blue Grass Pride and the Rain Garden Alliance, as well as installing a rain garden on their (gorgeously landscaped) six-and-a-half-acre land. Weber said he is looking for a source that sells rain barrels so that he can make them available at Springhouse, which is currently one of the few places in town that carry rain chains. Decorative and functional, rain chains are replacements for downspouts, hanging from the end of a home gutter to direct rainfall down into a splash block, rain barrel or basin. They range from a simple chain to an ornate series of copper cups.
Springhouse has featured concrete pavers with large holes that allow grass to grow through, as well as other permeable pavers for alternative to parking spaces or driveways.
SMART WATERING
According to Tamara Cassidy, the desire of Hillenmeyer's clients to "go green" with their landscape has increased significantly over the past several years. Though eco-friendly alternatives to pesticides are currently more costly than traditional methods, she said, landscape companies are offering them now more than ever before.
"Typically, the maintenance of residential lawns have necessitated excessively high water usage," Cassidy said, also pointing to Lexington's recent problems with excessive water usage and runoff. Because no one wants to give up their oasis completely, "smart" watering systems have made their way to the forefront at Hillenmeyer. These irrigation systems utilize drip irrigation for plantings, coupled with low-precipitation sprinkler heads for turf areas, which apply water to the turf slowly and evenly to reduce runoff and wasted water.
With these systems, the distance that each head sprays is customized, Cassidy said, which reduces needlessly watering sidewalks. "If designed and installed correctly, an automated system is much more efficient than watering with the typical garden hose and sprinkler," she added.
Cassidy recommends the following water-saving tips for homeowners who are inclined to water their lawn on their own: