Forget about neighborhood garden tours flaunting yards filled with gorgeous, thirsty, crybaby plants and turf that’s been dosed and dazed with countless chemical fertilizers and weed killers. Those gardens are so 20 minutes ago! Gardens that create wildlife habitat, save energy, reduce waste, fertilize naturally, build healthy soil, landscape locally and conserve water – especially here on the droughty West Coast where I live – are finally getting the attention they deserve. Rachel Carson can now rest in peace. Even my city-slicker sister, who has plastic leafy plants in and outside of her home, recently asked my advice on how she could use less water in her small garden. (No, she doesn’t water the plastic plants. And, no she doesn’t know who Rachel Carson was.)
This was my old front yard lawn before being replaced with natives.
Photo Credit: Annie Spiegelman
My new and improved front yard has natives and drought-tolerant plants. (So long, Lawn!)
Photo Credit: Annie Spiegelman
These native plants are thriving and happy in drought world!
Photo Credit: Annie Spiegelman
In early May, Northern California’s Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program and the Marin Art and Garden Center hosted their Third Annual Eco-Friendly Garden Tour. Over 25 gardens with eco-friendly features were on display. All gardens were hosted by a landscape designer or homeowner who was instrumental in the garden design, and they were all available to respond to questions from the public.
Just what’s found on an eco-garden tour? Gardens that are working with Mother Nature and not against her. Think rain gardens; smart controllers; habitat for wildlife; native, drought-tolerant, fire-resistant and deer-resistant plants; permeable surfaces; edible organic gardens; pesticide-free landscapes; lawn-less front yards (Gasp!) or yards with smaller front lawns; beehives; rain chains; owl boxes and various composting systems.
Being a Master Gardener and overall geek, I was excited to have my garden on the tour for the first time. Last spring I had replaced my rusty and cranky front lawn with native and drought-tolerant plants, and I’ve never looked back. My neighbors were curious at first but then the California drought hit full throttle and all those apprehensive homeowners came by to ask me questions about my plants, as if all of a sudden, I was the cool, popular girl in middle school. So, okay, I milked it for all I could…
I explained to them that a lawn is a pollinator’s desert. We need flowers so the beneficial insects will come pollinate our food and protect our plants from pests. I showed them how native plants are more pest-resistant, will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, survive solely on rainfall and little summer water once established, and bloom without synthetic fertilizers.
And like that, I instantly became queen bee of the hood!
The tour began at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning and went until 2 p.m. with a constant flow of eager gardeners and homeowners of all ages hungry for sustainable landscaping tips. The hours flew by as my landscape designer, Matt Buchholz, and I answered questions. How to keep weeds from growing through decomposed granite pathways was a concern. Luckily I haven’t had that problem since we laid down a few thick layers of a weed block under the decomposed granite paths. (If you’re doing this as an amateur, ask for some tips from the landscape supply store where you buy the decomposed granite.) Another concern was about leaving grass clippings on the lawn – if it was okay to do. Both Matt and I gave a resounding yes! Clippings are free nitrogen for the lawn.
My favorite question of the day: “Which neighbor, down the road in the fancy part of town, has the cleanest, oldest, free horse manure?”
Aged horse manure is fabulous fertilizer, but if it hasn’t been sitting out for at least 4-6 months, don’t use it directly in your garden. (It could burn plants, as well as has a high salt content and can spread many weed seeds.) Use shovelfuls at a time from your compost bin instead.
After 70 people had traipsed through my front yard and I was starting to fade, a giddy group of Master Gardeners stopped by. There we stood, five middle-aged women, with our heads peering down into my worm compost bin, as if we were looking through a peephole to another planet, admiring my master worm-keeping skills. (I may not be so “awesome” or “sic” in my 12-year-old son’s eyes, but I’m pretty certain my preteen worms would vote me Mother of the Year.)
“To forget how to tend the soil is to forget ourselves,” said Mahatma Gandhi. Sustainable gardening is here to stay as new and old generations of gardeners are more and more inclined to grow food that is safe, drink water that isn’t contaminated and breathe air that isn’t poisoned with pollutants.
A May 10, 2009, article written by Michael Standaert in the San Francisco Chronicle states, “Every 30 seconds a baby is born with pollution-related birth defects in China.” Okay, gardeners can’t fix the entire world, but we can start by keeping our own zip codes healthier by creating yards that are chemical-free, beautiful and relatively self-sufficient. If yours truly, a New Yorker who grew up in a high-rise apartment building can do this, trust me, you can too! Keep your eyes out for an eco-garden tour in your area. When it comes to home gardening, it’s okay to steal other people’s design plans. In fact, we take it as a compliment.
